muster

[muhs-ter]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR muster ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

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

to gather, summon, rouse (often followed by up): He mustered all his courage.

verb (used without object)

to assemble for inspection, service, etc., as troops or forces.

to come together; collect; assemble; gather.

noun

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

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 Phrases

muster in, to enlist into service in the armed forces.

muster out, to discharge from service in the armed forces: He will be mustered out of the army in only two more months.

Idioms

pass muster,

to pass a cursory inspection.
to measure up to a certain standard; be adequate: Your grades don't pass muster.

Origin of muster

1250–1300; Middle English mostren (v.) < Old French mostrer < Latin mōnstrāre to show, derivative of mōnstrum portent; see monster

Related formspre·mus·ter, verb (used with object)un·mus·tered, adjective

Can be confusedmuster mustard

Synonyms for muster

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR muster ON THESAURUS.COM

1. convoke. 1, 4. convene; congregate. 5. gathering, assembly, convention.

Synonym study

1. See gather.

Antonyms for muster

1, 4. scatter, separate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for mustered

enroll, organize, group, raise, congress, enter, rendezvous, convene, summon, collect, convoke, congregate, mobilize, assemble, rally, marshal, meet

Examples from the Web for mustered

Contemporary Examples of mustered

No major figure from either party has mustered such seemingly obvious denouncement.
Yes, ‘Aspergery’ Is a Slur and It's Time to Stop Using It
Emily Shire
October 30, 2014
Although they mustered 250 volunteers in 84 counties, thousands of bodies in all 99 counties are needed for success in 2016.
Hillary Deploys Iowa Army
Ben Jacobs
March 16, 2014
Arguments can be mustered from the evidence to support all kinds of theories about his identity and true nature.
Who Was Jesus, Anyway?
Jay Parini
December 1, 2013
Al-Sharif urged Aisha to get herself a car, and she mustered up the courage to have someone buy her one with darkly smoked glass.
Egypt’s Game Changers: Samira Ibrahim and the Women Who Speak Up About Sexual Violence
Nina Burleigh
January 22, 2012
It opened last fall to some of the best reviews of the year, yet mustered only $469,947 in limited release.
Why Does Hollywood Hate Gay Sex?
Ramin Setoodeh
January 4, 2012

Historical Examples of mustered

Going to his castle of Lochmaben, he mustered his adherents.
Cameos from English History, from Rollo to Edward II
Charlotte Mary Yonge
"This one's been locked out," he said to himself as he mustered Woburn.
The Greater Inclination
Edith Wharton
We mustered about fifty in all; but there was not a flincher among us.
Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume VI
Various
Its author had not yet mustered sufficient courage to return to it.
Cap'n Warren's Wards
Joseph C. Lincoln
She did not answer and he mustered courage to turn and look at her.
Fair Harbor
Joseph Crosby Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for mustered

muster

verb

to call together (numbers of men) for duty, inspection, etc, or (of men) to assemble in this way

muster into enlist into military service
muster outto discharge from military service

(tr) Australian and NZ to round up (livestock)

(tr sometimes foll by up) to summon or gatherto muster one's arguments; to muster up courage

noun

an assembly of military personnel for duty, inspection, etc

a collection, assembly, or gathering

Australian and NZ the rounding up of livestock

a flock of peacocks

pass muster to be acceptable

Word Origin for muster

C14: from old French moustrer, from Latin monstrāre to show, from monstrum portent, omen

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

Word Origin and History for mustered

muster

c.1300, "to display, reveal, appear," from Old French mostrer "appear, show, reveal," also in a military sense (10c., Modern French montrer), from Latin monstrare "to show," from monstrum "omen, sign" (see monster). Meaning "to collect, assemble" is early 15c.; figurative use (of qualities, etc.) is from 1580s. To muster out "gather to be discharged from military service" is 1834, American English. To muster up in the figurative and transferred sense of "gather, summon, marshal" is from 1620s. Related: Mustered; mustering.

muster

late 14c., "action of showing, manifestation," from Old French mostre "illustration, proof; examination, inspection" (13c., Modern French montre), literally "that which is shown," from mostrer (see muster (v.)). Meaning "act of gathering troops" is from c.1400. To pass musters (1570s) originally meant "to undergo military review without censure."

Idioms and Phrases with mustered

muster

In addition to the idiom beginning with muster

muster in

also see:

pass muster