Muse Meaning
/mjuːz/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounOf a person: a source of inspiration.
nounA poet; a bard.
Sentence Examples
"Novels? I hate novels." Oh muse, forgive her blasphemy.
She is my muse.
I let my muse inspire me.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The writer found his ____ in the beautiful and peaceful countryside scenery that surrounded him.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The poet often sat by the quiet river at sunset, hoping that the beautiful scenery would act as a ____ for his next collection of modern romantic verses.
Word Origin & History
From Middle French muse, from Latin Mūsa, from Ancient Greek Μοῦσα (Moûsa).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"My toung-tide Muſe in manners holds her ſtill,
While comments of your praiſe richly compil'd,
Reſerue their Character with goulden quill,
And precious phraſe by all the Muſes fil’d."
— 1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 85”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:
"So may some gentle Muse With lucky words favour my destined urn"
— 1637 (date written; published 1638), John Milton, “Lycidas”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC:
"When I asked about her affinity for playing self-obsessed artists, O’Hara mused: “Maybe I’m just trying to get it out of my system. I’m so afraid to be like that.”"
— 2026 January 30, Judy Berman, “Catherine O’Hara Portrayed the Vain and Delusional With a Radical Lack of Vanity”, in TIME, archived from the original on 01 Feb 2026:
"Come, then, expressive Silence, muse his praise."
— c. 1726, James Thomson, Hymn:
"It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: […]; […]; or perhaps to muse on the irrelevance of the borders that separate nation states and keep people from understanding their shared environment."
— 2013 June 7, David Simpson, “Fantasy of navigation”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The writer found his ____ in the beautiful and peaceful countryside scenery that surrounded him.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The poet often sat by the quiet river at sunset, hoping that the beautiful scenery would act as a ____ for his next collection of modern romantic verses.