muster

1 of 2

noun

mus·​ter ˈmə-stər How to pronounce muster (audio)
Synonyms of musternext
1
: a representative specimen (see specimen sense 1) : sample
musters of goods for sale
2
a
: an act of assembling
specifically : formal military inspection
Call out the troops to stand muster.
b
: critical examination
slipshod work that would never pass muster
c
: an assembled group : collection
a muster of biographical facts—Time
d
: inventory
were sent … to take the musters of this expedition—G. R. Elton

muster

2 of 2

verb

mustered; mustering ˈmə-st(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce muster (audio)

transitive verb

1
a
: to cause to gather : convene
b
: to enroll formally
—usually used with in or into
was mustered into the army
c
: to call the roll of
2
a
: to bring together : collect
b
: to call forth : rouse
3
: to amount to : comprise

intransitive verb

: to come together : congregate

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for muster

summon, call, cite, convoke, convene, muster mean to demand the presence of.

summon implies the exercise of authority.

was summoned to answer charges

call may be used less formally for summon.

called the legislature into special session

cite implies a summoning to court usually to answer a charge.

cited for drunken driving

convoke implies a summons to assemble for deliberative or legislative purposes.

convoked a Vatican council

convene is somewhat less formal than convoke.

convened the students

muster suggests a calling up of a number of things that form a group in order that they may be exhibited, displayed, or utilized as a whole.

mustered the troops

Examples of muster in a Sentence

Noun a muster of concerned citizens considering the muster of suggestions that were submitted for “word of the year” Verb They pushed the car with all the strength they could muster. a command to muster the troops
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Trump vowed to try to end birthright citizenship for the children of immigrants living in the country illegally — a move that legal experts say is unlikely to pass constitutional muster. —Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 11 Sep. 2024 Conversely, about 6% of the signatures that passed muster with elections employees got rejected on the second pass. —Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 13 Oct. 2024
Verb
Kansas City mustered just 57 rushing yards on the day. —Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 10 Nov. 2024 White women in general could muster the wherewithal to obtain safe abortions, sometimes by traveling as far as Sweden for the purpose. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for muster 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English mustre, from Anglo-French mostre, monstre, from mustrer

Verb

Middle English mustren to show, muster, from Anglo-French mustrer, monstrer, from Latin monstrare to show, from monstrum evil omen, monster — more at monster entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of muster was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing muster

Dictionary Entries Near muster

Mustelus

muster

musterer

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Muster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muster. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

muster

1 of 2 verb
mus·​ter ˈməs-tər How to pronounce muster (audio)
mustered; mustering
-t(ə-)riŋ
1
a
: to enroll formally
was mustered into the army
b
: to assemble (as troops) for roll call or inspection
2
: to stir up or bring to action
all the strength I could muster

muster

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: an act of assembling
especially : a formal military inspection or drill
b
: an assembled group : collection
2
: critical examination
work that did not pass muster

More from Merriam-Webster on muster

Nglish: Translation of muster for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of muster for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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