muster

1 of 2

noun

mus·​ter ˈmə-stər 

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 

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

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

Verb

• marshal
• marshall
• mobilize
• rally

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

Bennett, the Sedgwick County district attorney, said the policy provides quality control for warrants and ensures judges’ time isn’t wasted by warrant applications that don’t pass muster. —Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024

Prosecutors had argued the men knew the pages had a dubious chain of ownership but peddled them anyway, scheming to fabricate a provenance that would pass muster with auction houses and stave off demands to return the documents to Henley. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 6 Mar. 2024

This move is more likely to pass muster with the constitutional court, which in January banned Die Heimat (the NPD’s successor) from receiving state funding and tax breaks. —Joseph De Weck, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2024

Will such a move pass muster with regulators, or will come across as a challenge that regulators feel compelled to respond to? —Kylie Robison, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2024

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

Verb

Lawmakers could not muster sufficient support to override that veto, either. —Becky Bohrer, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024

Preliminary results showed that Peltz mustered about 31% of the vote, according to a person close to the election but not authorized to comment. —Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024

And as the story goes, the country/pop artist went out for drinks with her friends one night, mustered up the liquid courage to message the mystery man, and the rest is history. —Tricia Despres, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024

But that was all the Marlins offense could muster against Angels starter Patrick Sandoval. —Andre Fernandez, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024

Iowa scored the first goal, but that was all the visitors could muster. —Zach Welch, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2024

Bishop O’Dowd trailed 24-10 after one quarter, and then things went from bad to worse as the Dragons could only muster six points in the second. —Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024

Editors’ Picks My mother alone — who has called three countries home — mustered some enthusiasm. —Emefa Addo Agawu, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2024

But an effort by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla, to strip out the projects mustered only 32 votes with 64 against. —Kevin Freking, Quartz, 9 Mar. 2024

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

Phrases Containing muster

• muster roll
• muster out
• pass muster

Kids Definition

muster

1 of 2 verb

mus·​ter ˈməs-tər 

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