muster

1 of 2

noun

mus·ter ˈmə-stər

Synonyms of muster next

: a representative specimen (see specimen sense 1) : sample

musters of goods for sale

: an act of assembling

specifically : formal military inspection

Call out the troops to stand muster.

: critical examination

slipshod work that would never pass muster

: an assembled group : collection

a muster of biographical facts—

Time

: inventory

were sent … to take the musters of this expedition—

G. R. Elton

muster

2 of 2

verb

mustered; mustering ˈmə-st(ə-)riŋ

transitive verb

: to cause to gather : convene

: to enroll formally

—usually used with in or into

was mustered into the army

: to call the roll of

: to bring together : collect

: to call forth : rouse

: 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

Example Sentences

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

McGrath is either trying in vain to squeeze tears from his eyes, yelling out speeches that wouldn’t pass muster on an afterschool special, or staring creepily at the camera. —

Odie Henderson, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Jan. 2023 Ultimately, 75 of the 100 cities included in the report did not pass muster, requiring more than 30 percent of income to afford a home. —

Michael Kolomatsky, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2022 Sam Brinton, the beleaguered Biden official facing criminal charges for stealing suitcases from airports, is facing scrutiny about Brinton's dramatic backstory that one prominent LGBTQ activists suggests doesn't pass muster. —

Fox News, 10 Dec. 2022 Supporters of the compact have countered that because the bets are processed on a server on tribal lands, the wagers placed on cell phone apps would meet legal muster. —

Gray Rohrer, orlandosentinel.com, 13 Oct. 2021 Brooklyn Judge Carol Bagley Amon at the time said a prompt post-suspension hearing where Baffert could refute the charges was required to meet constitutional muster. —

CBS News, 11 Sep. 2021 Amon said a prompt post-suspension hearing where Baffert could dispute the claims was required to meet constitutional muster. —

Jason Frakes, The Courier-Journal, 16 July 2021 The emails, obtained by the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project and provided to Fox News, show communications between DHS officials in the wake of a visit by Mayorkas to a morning muster of Border Patrol in Yuma, Arizona. —

Fox News, 15 Nov. 2022 The Party of Regions won the parliamentary elections in 2006, and four years later Yanukovych reclaimed the presidency in elections that passed international muster. —

Jim Rutenberg, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2022

Verb

The Beavers were unable to muster enough offense and defensive stops during the final six minutes to make up the deficit. —

oregonlive, 13 Jan. 2023 Republicans flailed through a second day of multiple balloting, unable to muster the votes to elect McCarthy as the speaker or come up with a new strategy to end the chaos. —

Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2023 With House Democrats united in support of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, of New York, House Republicans were unable to muster a majority for their leader, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, of California. —

Dallas News, 4 Jan. 2023 But over the long term, the only real solution is for humanity to muster the political and technological will to stop polluting the atmosphere. —

Brady Dennis, Chris Mooney And Steven Mufson, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Nov. 2022 Witmore advertised his new MLK Day tradition through the website of Refuse Refuse San Francisco, an organized coalition that can muster site-specific volunteers to clean up every neighborhood in San Francisco. —

Sam Whiting, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Jan. 2023 Russia was pushing tens of thousands of troops across the border, and had many more tanks, missiles, and aircraft than Ukraine could muster. —

Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Jan. 2023 House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy will try again Friday to muster a majority on the floor to win the race for speaker after falling short in 11 rounds of voting over three days this week. —

Kathryn Watson, Stefan Becket, Caroline Linton, CBS News, 6 Jan. 2023 How is a person supposed to muster the energy and enthusiasm for a party when faced with all the immediate concerns presented by hardship? —

Sheila Liming, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2022 See More

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.

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

See more words from the same century