muster

1 of 2

noun

mus·​ter ˈmə-stər How to pronounce muster (audio)
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 factsTime
d
: inventory
were sent … to take the musters of this expeditionG. 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
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
Noun
Companies that either don’t comply with the EU’s new laws or otherwise fail to pass regulatory muster with the commission could face fines up to 6% of their revenue or even be kicked out of doing business in the 27-country bloc. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2024 On The Hunt For Buffett’s Next Wonderful Business A stock portfolio with 31% in cash might represent a defensive allocation for many individuals, but for an investment manager like Buffett, the idle funds represent tons of dry powder ready for deployment into stocks that pass muster. John Dobosz, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 There may be some situations where such non-discrimination laws might pass constitutional muster, suggested Justice Elena Kagan, one of the court’s liberals. Brian Fung, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024 The question of whether the regulations will pass legal muster has loomed over the discussions from the start. Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 The panel has appointed a special master to draw a separate state House map in the event that the commission fails to comply with that timeline or draws maps that don't pass legal muster. Detroit Free Press, 19 Jan. 2024 But ultimately the packet didn’t seem to pass muster. William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 4 Feb. 2024 However, there are also compounding pharmacies that don’t pass muster. Rachel Murphy, Verywell Health, 26 Jan. 2024 The entire menu will then have to pass muster with the NFL before being finalized. Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 15 Jan. 2024
Verb
The question may be if the group can muster up enough outside shooting. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2024 There was an occasional weeklong round of fighting in Gaza or a spurt of lone wolf attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank, but the conventional wisdom was that the Palestinians were too downtrodden and fractured to muster anything more. Gregg Carlstrom, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2024 As the dog panted and scarfed down a sandwich, Sweeney refused to break character, demonstrating a level of dedication that sometimes even cast members can’t muster. Esther Zuckerman, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2024 While Arsenal dominated possession and passing, the Gunners were largely toothless throughout the contest, mustering zero shots on target and just seven total shots all game. Matias Grez, CNN, 22 Feb. 2024 That’s why bitcoin’s proof of work was designed to rely on cryptographic proof, which mathematically cannot be circumvented without trillions more hours of computing power than anyone could muster. Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Chelsea and Liverpool mustered another 12 shots in extra-time but only Van Dijk’s header from Kostas Tsimikas’ corner yielded the decisive goal. Issy Ronald, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024 The Hogs mustered just 26 points in the paint Saturday after scoring 52 in the previous meeting. Jackson Fuller, Kansas City Star, 24 Feb. 2024 Echoing the famed Bill Walsh-Montana offense, the famed Reid-Mahomes unit mustered only three first-half points. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'muster.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near muster

Cite this Entry

“Muster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muster. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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

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