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View synonyms for

muster

[ muhs-ter ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to assemble (troops, a ship's crew, etc.), as for battle, display, inspection, orders, or discharge.

    Synonyms: , ,

    Antonyms: ,

  2. to gather, summon, rouse (often followed by up ):

    He mustered all his courage.



verb (used without object)

  1. to assemble for inspection, service, etc., as troops or forces.
  2. to come together; collect; assemble; gather.

    Synonyms: ,

    Antonyms: ,

noun

  1. an assembling of troops or persons for formal inspection or other purposes.

    Synonyms: , ,

  2. an assemblage or collection.
  3. the act of mustering.
  4. Also called muster roll. (formerly) a list of the persons enrolled in a military or naval unit.

verb phrase

  1. to discharge from service in the armed forces:

    He will be mustered out of the army in only two more months.

  2. to enlist into service in the armed forces.

muster

/ ˈʌə /

verb

  1. to call together (numbers of men) for duty, inspection, etc, or (of men) to assemble in this way
    1. to enlist into military service
    2. to discharge from military service
  2. tr to round up (livestock)
  3. trsometimes foll byup to summon or gather

    to muster up courage

    to muster one's arguments

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an assembly of military personnel for duty, inspection, etc
  2. a collection, assembly, or gathering
  3. the rounding up of livestock
  4. a flock of peacocks
  5. pass muster
    to be acceptable
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • ·ܲt verb (used with object)
  • ܲ·ܲt adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of muster1

1250–1300; Middle English mostren (v.) < Old French mostrer < Latin ōԲٰ to show, derivative of ōԲٰܳ unnatural event; monster
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Word History and Origins

Origin of muster1

C14: from old French moustrer, from Latin DzԲٰ to show, from monstrum portent, omen
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. pass muster,
    1. to pass a cursory inspection.
    2. to measure up to a certain standard; be adequate:

      Your grades don't pass muster.

More idioms and phrases containing muster

In addition to the idiom beginning with muster , also see pass muster .
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Synonym Study

See gather.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

At 48, Miller had floundered and bumbled through a 20-year career, to the dismay of his superiors, who could not muster the will to fire him.

From

That’s a prescient thought, given the only intelligible question one can muster once they see Gaga’s 25-foot dress for the opening act is, “How?”

From

It felt simple, real and far more me than any flowery prose I could muster.

From

It took 10 months for Lily to muster the courage to tell her mother about what was going on behind closed doors.

From

Is this his shot to muster some courage and impress Mook?

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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