Muster — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈmə-stər/ mus·ter

Meaning & Definition of Muster

Muster (noun)

  1. a representative specimen, sample
  2. an act of assembling; specifically, formal military inspection
  3. critical examination

Muster (verb)

  1. to cause to gather, convene
  2. to enroll formally —usually used with in or into
  3. to call the roll of

Muster (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a body of people come together in one place

    "a muster of concerned citizens"

    similar: assemblage, assembly, conference, congregation, convocation, gathering, ingathering, meeting
    related: company, consort, coterie, gang, pack, caucus, forum, market, panel, rally, symposium, synod, audience, gallery, grandstand, house, crowd, flock, horde, legion, multitude, press, swarm, throng, crush, mob, rabble, rabblement

  2. a number of things considered as a unit

    "considering the muster of suggestions that were submitted for word of the year"

    similar: array, assemblage, band, bank, batch, battery, block, bunch, clot, clump, cluster, clutch, collection, constellation, group, grouping, huddle, knot, lot, package, parcel, passel, set, suite, the whole kit and caboodle
    related: accumulation, aggregate, aggregation, conglomeration, agglomeration, assortment, hodgepodge, jumble, miscellany, mixture, odds and ends, sundries, variety, cycle, run, series, suit
    near: entity, item, single, unit

Muster (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to assemble and make ready for action

    "a command to muster the troops"

    similar: marshal, mobilize, rally
    related: arrange, group, line up, order, organize, call (up), convene, summon, activate, collect, round up
    opposite: demob (chiefly British), demobilize
    near: disarrange, disorder, disorganize, disrupt, disturb, deactivate, dismiss, break up, disband, dissolve, split (up)

  2. to bring together in assembly by or as if by command

    "all the supporters that I could muster for the fund-raising campaign"

    similar: assemble, call, convene, convoke, summon
    related: rally, call in, call out, call up, knell, amass, collect, gather, group, round up, reassemble, reconvene
    near: break up, dissolve

  3. to be made up of

    "the corps of regular wine drinkers musters only about 10% of the population"

    similar: comprise, consist (of), contain
    related: comprehend, embrace, encompass, entail, include, involve, take in, assimilate, embody, incorporate

Related Entry: Muster out (verb)

Muster out is a different word from Muster. The synonyms below are for muster out, not for muster.

  1. to let go from office, service, or employment

    "mustered out of the army at the end of the war"

    similar: ax, bounce, can, cashier, discharge, dismiss, fire, pink-slip, release, remove, retire, sack, terminate, turn off, send packing, show (someone) the door
    related: downsize, excess, furlough, lay off, trim, boot (out), chuck (out), drum (out), kick out, throw out, unseat, separate
    opposite: employ, engage, hire, retain, sign (up or on), take on
    near: keep, reemploy, rehire, contract, subcontract, recruit

Related Entry: Pass muster (phrase)

Pass muster is a different word from Muster. The synonyms below are for pass muster, not for muster.

  1. to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval

    "His repeated insistence that "it wasn't me" doesn't pass muster."

    similar: fly, hold up, pass, stand up, wash, hold water
    related: get through, go down, go over, go through, play, take, work

Related Entry: Passed muster (phrase)

Passed muster is a different word from Muster. The synonyms below are for passed muster, not for muster.

  1. to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval

    "His repeated insistence that "it wasn't me" doesn't pass muster."

    similar: flew, held up, passed, stood up, washed, held water
    related: got through, played, took, went down, went over, went through, worked

Related Entry: Passes muster (phrase)

Passes muster is a different word from Muster. The synonyms below are for passes muster, not for muster.

  1. to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval

    "His repeated insistence that "it wasn't me" doesn't pass muster."

    similar: flies, holds up, passes, stands up, washes, holds water
    related: gets through, goes down, goes over, goes through, plays, takes, works

Related Entry: Passing muster (phrase)

Passing muster is a different word from Muster. The synonyms below are for passing muster, not for muster.

  1. to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval

    "His repeated insistence that "it wasn't me" doesn't pass muster."

    similar: flying, holding up, passing, standing up, washing, holding water
    related: getting through, going down, going over, going through, playing, taking, working

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Muster

The most common words with a similar meaning to Muster:

assemblage, assembly, conference, congregation, convocation, gathering, ingathering, meeting, array, band, bank, batch, battery, block, bunch, clot, clump, cluster, clutch, collection, constellation, group, grouping, huddle, knot, lot, package, parcel, passel, set, suite, the whole kit and caboodle, marshal, mobilize, rally, assemble, call, convene, convoke, summon

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Muster

Words with the opposite meaning of Muster:

demob, demobilize

Related Words for Muster

company, consort, coterie, gang, pack, caucus, forum, market, panel, symposium, synod, audience, gallery, grandstand, house, crowd, flock, horde, legion, multitude, press, swarm, throng, crush, mob, rabble, rabblement, accumulation, aggregate, aggregation

Near Antonyms of Muster

entity, item, single, unit, disarrange, disorder, disorganize, disrupt, disturb, deactivate, dismiss, break up, disband, dissolve, split (up)

Word Forms of Muster

Inflections: mustered, mustering

Origin & Etymology of Muster

Middle English mustre, from Anglo-French mostre, monstre, from mustrer

First known use: 14th century

Words & Phrases Containing Muster

muster out, muster roll, pass muster

Frequently Asked Questions about Muster

What does "Muster" mean?

"Muster" means a representative specimen, sample. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a representative specimen, sample. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Muster"?

Other words for "Muster" include assemblage, assembly, conference, congregation, convocation, gathering, ingathering and meeting. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Muster" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Muster"?

There are 113 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Muster". Common alternatives include assemblage, assembly, conference, congregation, convocation, gathering, ingathering, meeting, array and band.

What is the opposite of "Muster"?

Antonyms of "Muster" include demob and demobilize. Near antonyms include entity, item, single and unit.

How do you use "Muster" in a sentence?

Examples of "Muster" in a sentence: "a muster of concerned citizens"; "considering the muster of suggestions that were submitted for word of the year"; "a command to muster the troops".

Is "Muster" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Muster" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Muster"?

"Muster" is pronounced /ˈmə-stər/ and divided into syllables as mus·ter.

What is the origin of the word "Muster"?

"Muster" comes from Middle English mustre, from Anglo-French mostre, monstre, from mustrer. First known use: 14th century.