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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

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Etymology

Origin of master

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

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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

English dialogue was added to a separate master version using both the cast and voice artists and traditional lip syncing techniques.

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

The lodge's senior officer, worshipful master Rodney Cubitt, said the attacks had an affect on its charity fundraising efforts, which had to be run during the day to avoid the risk of attack.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

“Carrie,” developed by Mike Flanagan, the streaming world’s master of horror, attempts something similar but even more extreme.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

The TeamLab building will be visible from the freeway, and is being designed by Smith-Clementi, OCVibe’s master planners.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

"You are making fun.of me, Sancho," his master said.

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

Its top lot was the Legendary Collection Complete Master Set, including a Charizard card in near-mint condition.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

For example, the bones of a puppy estimated to have been just 6 to 8 weeks old were discovered alongside an elite craftsperson nicknamed the "Master Basketmaker."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

Members of the Orange Order left Drumcree Church overnight - for the first time since the stand off began - but Deputy District Master Alastair Power returned on Wednesday morning.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 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

And all the while Master Wingfield eats his meat and drinks his wine.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

Underwood, 25, joined London-based PR agency Fight or Flight in November last year, in the new role of "AI associate" after completing a degree and then a masters in marketing.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Both of these women, especially Tony winner Chenoweth, are masters of stage presence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

By the time the Ravens drafted him in 2014, he had already earned his masters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Then there's this, he said: AI models are getting better and better at detecting when they are being tested and might behave differently when they are actually deployed, fooling their masters.

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

The equivalence of numbers and shapes made the ancient Greeks the masters of geometry, yet it had a serious drawback.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

He also went to the pub and mastered a simpler game: foosball.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Before cinema made him a familiar face, he spent years working in theatre, where he developed his gritty style of dialogue delivery and also mastered the intensity he brought to his on-screen characters.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Hallmark films have mastered the art of escalating low-stakes situations into high-stakes emotional emergency plotlines.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

They have mastered the racket: The business of youth sports isn’t creating memories for kids, it’s fearmongering, and preying on the emotional and financial insecurities of the parents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

“But never in the Cursed Forest. Magic here is corrupted and weird, and it’s not safe to use it if you haven’t completely mastered it.”

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

Researchers hope that mastering this control will make it possible to design practical devices that take advantage of the unusual magnetic properties.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

Horton said he is focused on informing fans and mastering the fundamentals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 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

AI can also still be used for mastering songs and, for example, using drum machines and auto tune.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

The sole Native Americans able to resist European conquest for many centuries were those tribes that reduced the military disparity by acquiring and mastering both horses and guns.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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