muster

noun

mus·ter | \ ˈmə-stər

Definition of muster

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a representative specimen (see specimen sense 1) : sample musters of goods for sale

2a : 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

verb

mustered; mustering\ ˈmə-st(ə-)riŋ

Definition of muster (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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

2a : to bring together : collect

b : to call forth : rouse

3 : to amount to : comprise

intransitive verb

: to come together : congregate

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about muster

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Synonyms & Antonyms for muster

Synonyms: Noun

assemblage, assembly, conference, congregation, convocation, gathering, ingathering, meeting

Synonyms: Verb

marshal (also marshall), mobilize, rally

Antonyms: Verb

demob [chiefly British], demobilize

Choose the Right Synonym for muster

Verb

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

To pass constitutional muster, though, municipal betterments must meet accountability standards. — BostonGlobe.com, "Should Massachusetts allow cities and towns to create Community Benefit Districts?," 13 July 2018 O’Connor noted that the Supreme Court upheld the law in 2012 because its requirement for Americans to carry health insurance was enforced through fines levied as taxes, which passed constitutional muster. — Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar, The Seattle Times, "Dems cry foul as Trump calls for striking down ‘Obamacare’," 27 Mar. 2019 New York has chosen to concoct a convoluted payroll tax-deduction scheme that the IRS is suggesting won’t pass legal muster. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Albany’s Millionaire Tax Revolt," 18 July 2018 Assuming the game passes muster, it's boxed up for shipping to one of Stern's customers—whether in the U.S. or around the world. — Peter Rugg, Popular Mechanics, "Inside America's Last Great Pinball Factory," 27 Mar. 2017 Apparently, the applications aren't grammatically coherent enough to pass muster at the USPTO. — Marci Robin, Allure, "Olivia Jade’s Beauty Brand Trademark Application May Be Rejected Over Grammatical Errors," 28 Mar. 2019 For jurists, the most important decision the high court may make is whether that approach passes muster. — Jess Bravin, WSJ, "Supreme Court Accepts First Gun Case in Nearly a Decade," 22 Jan. 2019 Even Western State’s dedicated building for criminal-competency patients — completed in 2020 — might not pass muster with current national hospital standards. — Joseph O’sullivan, The Seattle Times, "Inslee unveils $675 million plan to reverse crisis in Washington’s mental-health system," 12 Dec. 2018 Many ETFs are too new and too small to pass muster with the gate keepers at big brokerage firms. — Asjylyn Loder, WSJ, "Vanguard Aims to Prove Feel-Good Investing Can Deliver Feel-Good Returns," 2 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

In other words, so long as the president can muster the support of one-third of one chamber of Congress, lawmakers are generally powerless to halt controversial arms sales to foreign powers. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "A Farewell to Arms Deals," 11 June 2019 Three minor administration posts were filled on Wednesday, and the Senate mustered four votes on motions to end debate. — Emily Cochrane, New York Times, "Tariff Threats Aside, the Senate Is Where Action Goes to Die," 6 June 2019 But Grayson and Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, could not muster enough support for a measure establishing just causes for eviction. — Alexei Koseff, SFChronicle.com, "California’s biggest problems: Legislature keeps some bills alive, kills others," 6 June 2019 But supporters couldn’t muster a decisive vote in time, in part because opposition to payday lenders crosses party lines. — Anjali Tsui, ProPublica, "How Payday Lenders Spent $1 Million at a Trump Resort — and Cashed In," 5 June 2019 Amy also has one of the most beautiful scenes in the movie after finally mustering up the courage to talk to Ryan at the party. — Gabe Bergado, Teen Vogue, ""Booksmart" Star Kaitlyn Dever on What Makes the Movie So Funny, the Euphoria of Crushes, and Awkward Sex Scenes," 22 May 2019 Trimmer, knowing how important the bedframe was, at first couldn’t muster up the courage to break the news to his mother. — Steve Annear, BostonGlobe.com, "‘REWARD!’: Student scrambling to get back heirloom bedframe plucked from the curbside," 14 June 2018 Vazquez carried 146 plate appearances into Saturday's game, mustering only a .452 OPS. — Chandler Rome, Houston Chronicle, "Red Sox rough up Will Harris in Astros' loss," 2 June 2018 On Monday, though, the bats were dead, mustering only five total hits. — Clark Spencer, miamiherald, "Marlins make little noise in Big Apple, losing quietly to Mets | Miami Herald," 21 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'muster.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for muster

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

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