maestro

noun

mae·​stro ˈmī-(ˌ)strō How to pronounce maestro (audio)
plural maestros or maestri ˈmī-ˌstrē How to pronounce maestro (audio)
: a master usually in an art
especially : an eminent composer, conductor, or teacher of music

Examples of maestro in a Sentence

a maestro of the violin
Recent Examples on the Web The head coach who built his career as a quarterback maestro watched every defensive drill intently during the brief media viewing period of Tuesday’s practice, signaling a new era for USC quarterbacks that goes beyond just the field. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 On So Medieval, one-liner maestro Arthur Nolan and the shambolic band rip through silly, catchy, sometimes absurd anthems, reckoning with the travails of a music career while fending off online trolls or blagging free flights by pretending someone died. Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2024 Mangold almost didn’t get a chance to work so closely with the maestro. Chris Willman, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 Teamwork drew the maestro to conducting Märkl, 64, has always known the demands of a life in music. The Indianapolis Star, 23 Jan. 2024 The reporter and maestro kept missing connections due to his busy schedule. Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 14 Jan. 2024 At the same time, 18-year-old keyboard and synth maestro Patrick caught the band’s attention. Tracy Kawalik, SPIN, 5 Mar. 2024 Rom-com maestro Gary Winick directed this lovely fairy tale about a teenage girl (Christa B. Allen) who transforms into her 30-year-old self (Jennifer Garner) and sees that adulthood is not all it’s cracked up to be. EW.com, 2 Mar. 2024 If the past month of the 2023-24 NHL season is an indication, the league could be in for an all-time great duel between Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon and Lightning maestro Nikita Kucherov. Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 4 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'maestro.' 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

Italian, literally, master, from Latin magister — more at master

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of maestro was in 1607

Dictionary Entries Near maestro

Cite this Entry

“Maestro.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maestro. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

maestro

noun
mae·​stro ˈmī-strō How to pronounce maestro (audio)
plural maestros or maestri -ˌstrē How to pronounce maestro (audio)
: a master of an art and especially of music
Etymology

from Italian maestro, literally "master," from Latin magister "master, one who holds a higher political office" — related to magistrate, master

More from Merriam-Webster on maestro

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