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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

Athlete videos were played inside the stadium before events and winners held centre-court style interviews before being escorted to a champions' enclosure, where they joined Bolt and master of ceremonies Noah Lyles.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

With the year you’re having, was there a master plan or is it just how things have fallen into place?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Prince George will now become a boarder, with the school having 25 boarding houses, with each having approximately 55 pupils, looked after by residential staff headed by a house master.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Protecting them could require a master course in behavioral science.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Hearing myself tell them about Togbe’s death, my mother’s illness, Matthew, Bright, Jack of Diamonds, Mr. Dovlo, the master, Seth, Abu, Baby Joe, and the others was almost like hearing about someone else’s life.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

But we know his wife, Viviane Barci de Moraes, had a three-year legal consultancy contract with Banco Master that was valued at around $25 million.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

Appeared in the September 14, 2026, print edition as 'Lula Has a Banco Master Problem'.

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

Recent analysis by the Federation of Master Builders showed that the construction sector was facing a shortfall of labour and that it needed an additional 2,200 workers a year in order to meet demand.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

“I will present the charges,” says Master Wingfield.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

Snyder rented out the house between 2022 and 2025 while he remained in Boston to get his masters degree, which not only covered his entire mortgage payment but also generated a profit each month.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

Clearly, the algorithm masters aren’t too precious about these throwaway texts; their core strategy will always be to embrace whatever seems to work best in the moment.

From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026

The 57-year-old graduated from university with a masters in telematics and satellite engineering in 1991 and was one of only four women on the course of more than 200 students.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

And, in real time, we’re watching wannabe masters of the artificial-intelligence universe try to win an upper hand in controlling the new technology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

The chess masters march to my left, Colin and John to my right.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

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

In three years, he said, he mastered the alphabet, but "it took me 22 years to master 650 words" of vocabulary.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 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

But thereupon Éomer rode up in haste, and with him came the knights of the household that still lived and had now mastered their horses.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

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

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

It’s a sonic recipe that the two former schoolmates have been mastering since they were under lockdown from COVID.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026

“There’s a great sense of accomplishment in mastering a tangible craft,” Perry said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

Determined not to let his frailty and his stature stand in his way, in high school he went out for every sport he could think of, mastering none but playing all of them tenaciously.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

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