master
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.
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.
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.
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.
Older Use. an employer of workers or servants: The valet unpacked his master’s luggage prior to his arrival.
Sometimes Master . the dominant sexual partner in a BDSM relationship of unequal power.
a person eminently skilled in something, as an occupation, art, or science: the great masters of the Impressionist period.
a person whose teachings others accept or follow: a Zen master.
Chiefly British. a male teacher or schoolmaster.
a worker qualified to teach apprentices and to carry on a trade independently.
a title given to a bridge or chess player who has won or placed in a certain number of officially recognized tournaments.
a person holding this title.
Also called mas·ter mar·i·ner [mas-ter mar-uh-ner, mah-ster] /ˈmæs tər ˈmær ə nər, ˈmɑ stər/ . a person who commands a merchant ship; captain.
a victor or conqueror.
a presiding officer.
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.
the Master. Christianity. Jesus Christ.
a person who has been awarded a master's degree.
a boy or young man (used chiefly as a term of address).
Also called matrix . an original document, drawing, manuscript, etc., from which copies are made.
Machinery, Computers. a device or process that controls another device or process operating in a similar way.: Compare slave (def. 5).
Recording.
an audio disk or tape from which duplicates may be made.
Computers an original data file or disk from which duplicates may be made.
Also called cop·y neg·a·tive [kop-ee neg-uh-tiv] /ˈkɒp i ˈnɛg ə tɪv/ .Photography. a film, usually a negative, used primarily for making large quantities of prints.
Archaic. a work of art produced by a master.
directing or controlling: a master switch.
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.
dominating or predominant: a master play.
being a master of some occupation, art, etc.; eminently skilled: a master diplomat;a master pianist.
being a master carrying on one's trade independently, rather than a worker employed by another: a master plumber.
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.
to make oneself master of; become an adept in: to master a language.
to conquer or overcome: to master one's pride.
to rule or direct as master: to master a crew.
Recording. to produce a master audio file, disk, phonograph record, or tape of: The producer recorded, mixed, and mastered the new album.
Origin of master
1Other words for master
Other words from master
- mas·ter·less, adjective
- out·mas·ter, verb (used with object)
- sub·mas·ter, noun
- un·der·mas·ter, noun
- un·mas·tered, adjective
- well-mas·tered, adjective
Words Nearby master
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use master in a sentence
One of those reports was a landmark 2003 Nature paper by the evolutionary biologist Joachim Kurtz, then at the Max Planck Institute of Limnology in Germany, and his master’s student Karoline Franz.
‘Trained Immunity’ Offers Hope in Fight Against Coronavirus | Esther Landhuis | September 14, 2020 | Quanta MagazineEvery early-stage startup founder needs to master a daunting slate of business skills.
Some password managers, including 1Password, also give you a secret key that you’ll need to use with your master password to sign in on new devices.
The post How to become a master of featured snippets appeared first on Search Engine Watch.
How to become a master of featured snippets | Mark Webster | September 3, 2020 | Search Engine WatchLeonard is a master at both identifying specific spots where he’s most comfortable and getting there pretty much whenever he wants.
If Kawhi Turns His Back To The Basket, Watch Out | Michael Pina | September 3, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
And that gets to the heart of what makes the game so incredible: By staying silent, it turns the player into the game master.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art | Alec Kubas-Meyer | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTDickens was a master of heart-wrenching pathos because he felt every pain as he wrote.
Why was a master photographer recruited to work with one of the most successful liquor brands on the planet?
The Restaurant, Flask, And Photography Worthy of The Macallan Whisky | | December 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSo the master artist traveled to Beijing and shot in a former palace not far from the Forbidden City.
The Restaurant, Flask, And Photography Worthy of The Macallan Whisky | | December 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHitchcock saw the work of, and probably met, Murnau, the great German filmmaker--the earliest master of bleak light and shadow.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd with some expressions of mutual good-will and interest, master and man separated.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2) | Charles DickensThe "bad form" of telling a lie to the head-master is a later illustration of the same thing.
Children's Ways | James SullyHere and there exceptional industry or extraordinary capacity raised the artisan to wealth and turned the "man" into the "master."
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen LeacockWhy should not Aristide, past master in drumming, find an honourable position in the orchestra of the Tournée Gulland?
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. LockeThe secretary trembled in his every limb; his eyes shunned his master's as his master's had shunned Garnache's awhile ago.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
British Dictionary definitions for master (1 of 2)
/ (ˈmɑːstə) /
the man in authority, such as the head of a household, the employer of servants, or the owner of slaves or animals: Related adjective: magistral
a person with exceptional skill at a certain thing: a master of the violin
(as modifier): a master thief
(often capital) a great artist, esp an anonymous but influential artist
a person who has complete control of a situation
an abstract thing regarded as having power or influence: they regarded fate as the master of their lives
a workman or craftsman fully qualified to practise his trade and to train others in it
(as modifier): master carpenter
an original copy, stencil, tape, etc, from which duplicates are made
(as modifier): master copy
a player of a game, esp chess or bridge, who has won a specified number of tournament games
the principal of some colleges
a highly regarded teacher or leader whose religion or philosophy is accepted by followers
a graduate holding a master's degree
the chief executive officer aboard a merchant ship
a person presiding over a function, organization, or institution
mainly British a male teacher
an officer of the Supreme Court of Judicature subordinate to a judge
the superior person or side in a contest
a machine or device that operates to control a similar one
(often capital) the heir apparent of a Scottish viscount or baron
(modifier) overall or controlling: master plan
(modifier) designating a device or mechanism that controls others: master switch
(modifier) main; principal: master bedroom
the master Southern African informal the man of the house
to become thoroughly proficient in: to master the art of driving
to overcome; defeat: to master your emotions
to rule or control as master
Origin of master
1Derived forms of master
- masterdom, noun
- masterhood, noun
- masterless, adjective
- mastership, noun
British Dictionary definitions for Master (2 of 2)
/ (ˈmɑːstə) /
a title of address placed before the first name or surname of a boy
a respectful term of address, esp as used by disciples when addressing or referring to a religious teacher
an archaic equivalent of Mr
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with master
see past master.
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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