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• master
  master

  noun

  a person with the ability or power to use, control, or dispose of something.
• Master
  Master

  noun

  a title of address placed before the first name or surname of a boy

master

American  

[mas-ter, mah-ster] / ˈmæs tər, ˈmɑ stər /

noun

• masters
  plural

1. a person with the ability or power to use, control, or dispose of something.

   a master of six languages;

   to be master of one's fate.

   Synonyms:

   expert, adept

2. an owner of enslaved people, in the institution of chattel slavery; a slaveholder.

   Antebellum laws and codes in the South restricted the circumstances under which masters could free African Americans from slavery.

3. an owner of a pet or other animal.

   The dog waited at the end of the lane every evening to greet his master coming home.

4. Older Use. the male head of a household.

   As the oldest son, he felt a lot of pressure to act as the master of the house after his father’s passing.

5. Older Use. an employer of workers or servants.

   The valet unpacked his master’s luggage prior to his arrival.

6. Sometimes Master the dominant sexual partner in a BDSM relationship of unequal power.

7. a person eminently skilled in something, as an occupation, art, or science.

   the great masters of the Impressionist period.

8. a person whose teachings others accept or follow.

   a Zen master.

9. Chiefly British. a male teacher or schoolmaster.

10. a worker qualified to teach apprentices and to carry on a trade independently.

11. a title given to a bridge or chess player who has won or placed in a certain number of officially recognized tournaments.

12. a person holding this title.

13. Also called master mariner. a person who commands a merchant ship; captain.

14. a victor or conqueror.

15. a presiding officer.

16. an officer of the court to whom some or all of the issues in a case may be referred for the purpose of taking testimony and making a report to the court.

17. Christianity. the Master. Jesus Christ.

18. a person who has been awarded a master's degree.

19. a boy or young man (used chiefly as a term of address).

20. Also called matrix. an original document, drawing, manuscript, etc., from which copies are made.

21. Machinery, Computers. a device or process that controls another device or process operating in a similar way.

22. Recording.

    1. matrix.

    2. an audio disk or tape from which duplicates may be made.

23. Computers an original data file or disk from which duplicates may be made.

24. Also called copy negative. Photography. a film, usually a negative, used primarily for making large quantities of prints.

25. master of foxhounds.

26. Archaic. a work of art produced by a master.

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adjective

1. being master; exercising mastery; dominant.

2. chief or principal.

   a master list.

3. directing or controlling.

   a master switch.

   Synonyms:

   cardinal, prime, primary, leading, main

4. of or relating to a master from which duplicates are made.

   a master recording;

   the master copy of a piece of software.

   The master film had been misfiled in the archives.

5. dominating or predominant.

   a master play.

6. being a master of some occupation, art, etc.; eminently skilled.

   a master diplomat;

   a master pianist.

7. being a master carrying on one's trade independently, rather than a worker employed by another.

   a master plumber.

8. characteristic of a master; showing expert skill, ability, or knowledge.

   The chosen design was a master achievement that still amazes architects, engineers, and scientists today.

   Synonyms:

   skillful, expert, adept

verb (used with object)

• masters,
  present (3rd person singular)
• mastered,
  past participle,  past
• mastering
  present participle

1. to make oneself master of; become an adept in.

   to master a language.

2. to conquer or overcome.

   to master one's pride.

   Synonyms:

   control, subdue

3. to rule or direct as master.

   to master a crew.

   Synonyms:

   manage, govern

4. Recording. to produce a master audio file, disk, phonograph record, or tape of.

   The producer recorded, mixed, and mastered the new album.

master ¹ British  

/ ˈmɑːstə /

noun

1. the man in authority, such as the head of a household, the employer of servants, or the owner of slaves or animals

2. 1. a person with exceptional skill at a certain thing

      a master of the violin

   2. ( as modifier )

      a master thief

3. (often capital) a great artist, esp an anonymous but influential artist

4. 1. a person who has complete control of a situation

   2. an abstract thing regarded as having power or influence

      they regarded fate as the master of their lives

5. 1. a workman or craftsman fully qualified to practise his trade and to train others in it

   2. ( as modifier )

      master carpenter

6. 1. an original copy, stencil, tape, etc, from which duplicates are made

   2. ( as modifier )

      master copy

7. a player of a game, esp chess or bridge, who has won a specified number of tournament games

8. the principal of some colleges

9. a highly regarded teacher or leader whose religion or philosophy is accepted by followers

10. a graduate holding a master's degree

11. the chief executive officer aboard a merchant ship

12. a person presiding over a function, organization, or institution

13. a male teacher

14. an officer of the Supreme Court of Judicature subordinate to a judge

15. the superior person or side in a contest

16. a machine or device that operates to control a similar one

17. (often capital) the heir apparent of a Scottish viscount or baron

18. (modifier) overall or controlling

    master plan

19. (modifier) designating a device or mechanism that controls others

    master switch

20. (modifier) main; principal

    master bedroom

21. informal the man of the house

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verb

1. to become thoroughly proficient in

   to master the art of driving

2. to overcome; defeat

   to master your emotions

3. to rule or control as master

Master ² British  

/ ˈmɑːstə /

noun

1. a title of address placed before the first name or surname of a boy

2. a respectful term of address, esp as used by disciples when addressing or referring to a religious teacher

3. an archaic equivalent of Mr

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master Idioms  

1. see past master.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• masterdom
  noun
• masterhood
  noun
• mastership
  noun
• submaster
  noun
• undermaster
  noun
• outmaster
  verb (used with object)
• masterless
  adjective
• unmastered
  adjective
• well-mastered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• masters
  plural

Participles

• mastering
  present
• mastered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• master
  simple
• masters
  simple
• have mastered
  perfect
• has mastered
  perfect
• am mastering
  progressive
• are mastering
  progressive
• is mastering
  progressive
• have been mastering
  perfect progressive
• has been mastering
  perfect progressive

Past

• mastered
  simple
• had mastered
  perfect
• was mastering
  progressive
• were mastering
  progressive
• had been mastering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will master
  simple
• will have mastered
  perfect
• will be mastering
  progressive
• will have been mastering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of master

First recorded before 900; Middle English maistre, maister, Old English magister, from Latin; akin to magnus “great”

Explanation

The original of something (like a recording) is the master. Masters are also experts in fields, from karate to painting. Master actors are brilliant actors: they've mastered the skill of acting: maybe they have a Master of Fine Arts degree. It takes a long time to master anything. The master is the head of a school. People with servants, pets, and (during a horrible period in our history) slaves were called masters. A master key opens many doors, and when you master something, you are extremely good at it. An A+ on a test shows you mastered the material.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

master Master masters mastered mastering

Nigel Dawson, Portadown district master, told members outside Drumcree church that they had received confirmation that the parade determination was still alive.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

When master sommelier Bobby Stuckey and chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson opened it in 2004, hardly any noteworthy restaurants existed in Boulder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

Researchers and industry experts believe the first company to master that process could set off an exponential cycle of progress, pulling so far ahead that competitors can no longer catch up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Inouye was a master of earmarks, a practice that allowed lawmakers to insert funding for specific companies by name in the federal budget.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

Yao seemed to be some kind of a nephew to the master, which was why, if this place of nightmares had been a classroom, he’d have been the prefect.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Nigel Dawson, Portadown District Master of the Orange Order, said on Sunday night that they are waiting patiently "for the police to fulfil their legal obligations" in relation to the parade.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Child lived in the house for roughly four decades and filmed several of her later television shows there, including “In Julia’s Kitchen with Master Chefs” and “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home.”

From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026

But more news this month about allegations of fraud in the November failure of São Paulo-based Banco Master could change that.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

When our instructor, Master Kim, paired us together for partner drills, I clenched my teeth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

After a few minutes of conferring with one another, Master Archer shouts out, “Where are Jehu Robinson and Thomas Entry?”

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

In unpacking the new single title, Harper’s Bazaar suggested that maybe modern-day fame is the disease, and Swift the “early guinea pig” who has fought against sexism and re-created her own masters.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

Students who want to go "up the scale" will be allowed, Burke said, for example, if a student finishes a bachelor's degree and then wants to complete a masters.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Why buy: The couple had just moved to the Seattle area from Santa Barbara, Calif., where Alyssa Kibbe had finished her masters degree in environmental science and management.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

"We are masters in our own house," the prime minister said on Saturday, just hours after breaking off trade talks with the United States and ordering his negotiators back to Ottawa.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

To that point Bobby hadn’t won a game in the tournament, but he’d drawn three, and he seemed to be getting stronger each round, learning from the other masters as he played.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Perhaps it was just as well he never mastered Gromit the Cat.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen anything like that from a press secretary, but no one has mastered the dark art of hucksterism with Leavitt’s aplomb.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

But Taco Bell, led since 2023 by Chief Executive Sean Tresvant, has mastered its branding and digital appeal skillfully enough to overcome these obstacles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

North Korea, which has mastered the art of stealing crypto through hacks and other cybercrimes, has used it to buy fuel and military equipment, officials say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

In fact, he’d mastered reading and writing so quickly he’d begun training in Illumination three months earlier than any Apprentice before him.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Assembly Bill 2555 dismantles and streamlines an aging system that some researchers said kept far too many students classified as English learners months or even years after mastering the language.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

Both ChatGPT and Claude can generate a daily briefing like Google’s, but it requires mastering several of their features at once.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

After mastering the accumulation phase of your wealth journey, managing the distribution phase can get increasingly tricky.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026

It provides a little aid, a little boost and a little fuel for inspiring some to get more serious about mastering a craft.

From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2026

The female mathematicians’ job security wasn’t immediately threatened by the machines, but Dorothy Vaughan perceived that mastering the machine would be the key to long-term career stability.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Related Words

• administrator
• boss
• commander
• director
• guru
• instructor
• judge
• manager
• owner
• ruler
• teacher