muster
Americanverb (used with object)
-
musters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
mustered,
past participle, past
-
mustering
present participle
-
to assemble (troops, a ship's crew, etc.), as for battle, display, inspection, orders, or discharge.
- Synonyms:
- congregate, convene, convoke
-
to gather, summon, rouse (often followed byup ).
He mustered all his courage.
verb (used without object)
-
musters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
mustered,
past participle, past
-
mustering
present participle
-
to assemble for inspection, service, etc., as troops or forces.
-
to come together; collect; assemble; gather.
- Synonyms:
- congregate, convene
noun
-
musters
plural
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an assembling of troops or persons for formal inspection or other purposes.
- Synonyms:
- convention, assembly, gathering
-
an assemblage or collection.
-
the act of mustering.
-
Also called muster roll. (formerly) a list of the persons enrolled in a military or naval unit.
verb phrase
-
muster out to discharge from service in the armed forces.
He will be mustered out of the army in only two more months.
-
muster in to enlist into service in the armed forces.
idioms
verb
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to call together (numbers of men) for duty, inspection, etc, or (of men) to assemble in this way
-
-
to enlist into military service
-
to discharge from military service
-
-
(tr) to round up (livestock)
-
to summon or gather
to muster one's arguments
to muster up courage
noun
-
an assembly of military personnel for duty, inspection, etc
-
a collection, assembly, or gathering
-
the rounding up of livestock
-
a flock of peacocks
-
to be acceptable
Synonym Usage
See gather.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
mustersimple
-
musterssimple
-
have musteredperfect
-
has musteredperfect
-
am musteringprogressive
-
are musteringprogressive
-
is musteringprogressive
-
have been musteringperfect progressive
-
has been musteringperfect progressive
Past
-
musteredsimple
-
had musteredperfect
-
was musteringprogressive
-
were musteringprogressive
-
had been musteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of muster
1250–1300; Middle English mostren (v.) < Old French mostrer < Latin mōnstrāre to show, derivative of mōnstrum unnatural event; see monster
Explanation
Originally meaning "to gather soldiers," muster has been expanded to include gathering up just about anything — you can muster up some dinner, some friends, or even some ketchup, pickles, and mustard. Remember that muster used to involve getting reluctant soldiers out of bed and into the field of battle — so it involves overcoming a certain inertia. When you muster up the courage to face something, it's clear that this is pretty scary for you.
Vocabulary lists containing muster
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Perhaps the mayor will now muster some sympathy for businesses mugged in similar schemes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
But the bloc has failed to muster the momentum that swept it to power four years ago.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
If the film were as goofy as the killer’s pseudonym, it might be worth the two painful hours it takes to muster through this bloodless procedural.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
The settlement still needs to pass muster with the judge who was overseeing the trial.
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
And if it passed muster, maybe Jenny Lindt would want to work with her to finish it.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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"Even a cinematic maestro occasionally musters up a misfire," the Razzies said, in a press release announcing Coppola's win.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2025
And as is also his way, he musters up one big swing that cracks harder than all the rest.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2024
Tellingly, it’s only after Adam has his first ghostly visitation with his parents that he musters the courage to seek out a sobered-up Harry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2023
While Faist must hide his light under the bushel of an ostentatious 1970s mustache, he, like Boutsikaris and the love interest Crystal Reed, musters up noteworthy charm.
From New York Times ● Mar. 16, 2023
The largest of the four musters was that which listed the twelve servants of Edward Bennett.
From The First Seventeen Years: Virginia 1607-1624 by Charles E. Hatch
It wasn’t until recently that he mustered the courage to watch classics like “The Exorcist” and “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
While Wall Street was broadly negative, the Dow still mustered a gain to push it to a third straight record close.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
The British suffered heavy casualties—including the death of Braddock—and might well have taken even more damage had Washington not mustered a rear guard and led a fighting retreat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Both Musk and OpenAI have mustered high-dollar legal armies who are prepared to wage potentially years of litigation, including this federal trial.
From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2026
Desperately, I mustered up my last reserve of energy.
From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
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Camel number are kept in check by mustering, shooting and trapping at water points.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
Or foolhardy when this is a moment when she ought to be mustering as much authority as she can?
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2025
The challenge is mustering the collective wisdom to manage our shared resources before they’re grazed beyond recovery.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2025
Davis led the league in punt return average last season, but this year the Chargers are mustering just 9.7 yards per punt return with a league-low four attempts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2024
“Your officer helped the humans,” he blurted, mustering as much indignation as possible.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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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.