muscle memory

Syllables: mus·cle mem·ory/ˌmʌsl̩ ˈmɛm(ə)ɹi//ˈmʌs(ə)l ˈmɛmɚi/

muscle memory noun: the ability to reproduce a particular movement using subconscious neuromuscular control which is acquired as a result of the physiological adaptation of the body to repetition of the movement.

Noun

muscle memory (countable and uncountable, plural muscle memories)

The ability to reproduce a particular movement using subconscious neuromuscular control which is acquired as a result of the physiological adaptation of the body to repetition of the movement.
- For just as there is a memory of sensory impressions, of the sights we have seen and the sounds we have heard, so is there a memory of motor acts, of the movements we have performed, and of the mode in which we have accomplished them. We have a sense memory and a muscle memory, and ideally revived...1883, J[ames] Crichton[-]Browne, “Education and the Nervous System”, in Malcolm [Alexander] Morris, editor, The Book of Health, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, […], →OCLC, page 326
- In fighting we have an illustration of muscle-memory. A fistic encounter calls forth as diversified and complicated a series of activities as almost any species of manual labor, but a ten-year-old boy of fighting stock will stand up to his first fight and play his part with a skill and address and...1892 November 25, C. F. Amery, “Instinct”, in Science: An Illustrated Journal […], volume XX, number 512, New York, N.Y.: N. D. C. Hodges, →OCLC, page 302, column 1
The ability to regain lost muscle size and strength much faster than initially building it, due to retained muscle nuclei.

muscle memory meaning in Hindi, Arabic, Persian and Vietnamese

muscle memory in Hindi

physiological adaptation of the body to repetition of a specific physical activity, resulting in increased subconscious neuromuscular control when performing that activity again: मांसपेशीय स्मृति mānspeśīya smŕti

muscle memory in Arabic

physiological adaptation of the body to repetition of a specific physical activity, resulting in increased subconscious neuromuscular control when performing that activity again: ذَاكِرَة عَضَلِيَّة

muscle memory in Persian

physiological adaptation of the body to repetition of a specific physical activity, resulting in increased subconscious neuromuscular control when performing that activity again: حافظه عضله, حافظه عضلانی

muscle memory in Vietnamese

physiological adaptation of the body to repetition of a specific physical activity, resulting in increased subconscious neuromuscular control when performing that activity again: trí nhớ cơ bắp

Examples of muscle memory in a sentence

We have a sense memory and a muscle memory, and ideally revived movements form a no less important element in our mental stores and process than ideally revived sensations.1883, J[ames] Crichton[-]Browne, “Education and the Nervous System”, in Malcolm [Alexander] Morris, editor, The Book of Health, London...
I said that one can move a muscle only if one has an inherent muscle memory which has been stored in the brain at some previous time.1922 August 12, Charles G. Stivers, “Need of Standards of Training for Specialists, General Practitioners and Teachers of Speech...
My shadow / Change is coming / Now is my time / Listen to my muscle memory / Contemplate what I've been clinging to / Forty six and two ahead of me1995 September – 1996 March (date recorded), Danny Carey, Justin Chancellor, Adam Jones, Maynard James Keenan, “Forty Six & 2”, in Ænima...
The key is muscle memory and automating one's responses.2011, Ryan Flavelle, The Patrol: Seven Days in the Life of a Canadian Soldier in Afghanistan, Toronto, Ont.: HarperCollins Publishers...

Forms of muscle memory

plural	muscle memories

Origin of muscle memory

PIE word *múHs From muscle + memory. First attested in 1892.

Words that rhyme with muscle memory

memory

Questions about muscle memory

What does muscle memory mean?: Muscle memory means the ability to reproduce a particular movement using subconscious neuromuscular control which is acquired as a result of the physiological adaptation of the body to repetition of the movement.
What is muscle memory in Hindi?: Muscle memory in Hindi is मांसपेशीय स्मृति (mānspeśīya smŕti). See Muscle memory meaning in Hindi.
How do you use muscle memory in a sentence?: We have a sense memory and a muscle memory, and ideally revived movements form a no less important element in our mental stores and process than ideally revived sensations.
What part of speech is muscle memory?: Muscle memory is a noun.
How do you pronounce muscle memory?: Muscle memory is pronounced /ˌmʌsl̩ ˈmɛm(ə)ɹi/ (UK).
What is the plural of muscle memory?: The plural of muscle memory is muscle memories.

Words near muscle memory in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: muscle memory (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-muscle memory.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-AnotherFriendlyHuman-muscle memory.wav.

Cite this entry: “muscle memory.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/muscle_memory. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.