noun

muzzle

muzzle (for an animal), muzzle (of a gun), (verb) to muzzle

The dog has to wear a muzzle in public.

The dog has to wear a muzzle in public.

He looked down the muzzle of the gun.

He looked down the muzzle of the gun.

They tried to muzzle the press.

They tried to muzzle the press.

a muzzle for ((an animal)) a covering for an animal's nose and mouth The dog has to wear a muzzle in public.

the muzzle of ((a gun)) the open end of a gun barrel He looked down the muzzle of the gun.

to muzzle ((sb./sth.)) to prevent sb. from expressing their opinions They tried to muzzle the press.

Synonyms (noun): restraint, gag; Synonyms (verb): silence, suppress

From Old French 'musel', from 'mus' meaning 'snout'.

Imagine the 'mouth' of a dog or the 'mouth' of a gun. The sound is similar to 'puzzle' - it's a puzzle how to get the muzzle on the dog.

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