Dictionary

muster en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˈmʊstə/ (Northern-England)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈmʌstɚ/ (US)
• /ˈmʌstə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• /ˈmɐstə/ (Australia, New-Zealand)

Etymology

From Middle English musteren, borrowed from Anglo-Norman mostrer, Middle French monstrer, moustrer (whence the noun monstre, which gave the English noun), from Latin mōnstrō (“to show”), from moneō (“to admonish”). Cognate with French montrer (“to show”), Italian mostrare (“to show”), Spanish mostrar (“to show”). See also monster.

Meanings

1. A gathering. ▸ An assemblage or display; a gathering, collection of people or things.
   • 1920, Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics, Official Year Book of the Commonwealth of Australia, Issue 13, The figures from 1788 to 1825 inclusive, as already mentioned, are based on the musters taken in those years; those for subsequent years are based upon estimates made on the basis of Census results and the annual […] .
   • Of the temporal grandees of the realm, and of their wives and daughters, the muster was great and splendid. 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XI, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
   • She seems to hear the Repetition of his Mens Names with Admiration; and waits only to answer him with as false a Muster of Lovers. 1743, Richard Steele, Joseph Addison, The Lucubrations of Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq.:
2. A gathering. ▸ An assembling or review of troops, as for parade, verification of numbers, inspection, exercise, or introduction into service.
   • 2010, Ohtar, "Enthroned", Slechtvalk, A Forlorn Throne. To shorten his way and to hasten for the muster he takes a long lost road.
   • And after long being there, I 'light, and walked to the place where the King, Duke &c., did stand to see the horse and foot march by and discharge their guns, to show a French Marquisse (for whom this muster was caused) the goodness of our firemen […] 1663 July 13 (date written; Gregorian calendar), Samuel Pepys, Mynors Bright, transcriber, “July 4th, 1663”, in Henry B[enjamin] Wheatley, editor, The Diary of Samuel Pepys […], volume (please specify |volume=I to X), London: George Bell & Sons […]; Cambridge: Deighton Bell & Co., published 1893–1899, →OCLC:
   • Come, let vs take a muster speedily: / Doomesday is neere; dye all, dye merrily. c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
3. A gathering. ▸ The sum total of an army when assembled for review and inspection; the whole number of effective men in an army.
   • Ye publish the musters of your own bands, and proclaim them to amount of thousands. [1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page):
4. (Australia, New-Zealand) A gathering. ▸ A roundup of livestock for inspection, branding, drenching, shearing etc.
   • McGuire took the two of them out to Kidman's Bore on the Sylvester River where about two dozen stockmen from different stations had gathered to tend the muster along the edge of the Simpson Desert. 2006, John Gilfoyle, Bloody Jackaroos!, Boolarong Press:
5. (obsolete) Showing. ▸ Something shown for imitation; a pattern.
   • And this is the more ſurprizing, as he [the Indian tailor] never meaſures you; he only aſks "maſter for muſter," as he terms it, that is, for a pattern 1773, Edward Ives, A Voyage From England To India, London: Printed for Edward and Charles Dilly, page 52:
6. (obsolete) Showing. ▸ A sample of goods.
   • A letter from Mr. Downie, dated 14th of January 1807, acknowledging the receipt of one from the plaintiff, transmitting musters of silk, and authorizing the plaintiff, on certain conditions, to proceed in his speculation […] 1868, Reports of Cases Determined in the Court of Sudder Dewanny Adawlut, page 114:
   • The beasts they saw here were hogs and little dogs, and they found some hens; here also they found a muster of cloves, ginger, and cinnamon; though the cinnamon was not of the best: […] 1770, Alexander Dalrymple, An Historical Collection of the Several Voyages and Discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean, page 48:
7. (obsolete) Showing. ▸ An act of showing something; a display.
   • Thus all things being condignely ordered, will an ill favoured impatiencie he waited, until the next morning he might make a muster of him selfe in the Iland […] 1590, Sir Philip Sidney, Arcadia, Book III:
   • And when you find your women's favour fail, / 'Tis ten to one you'll know yourself, and seek me, / Upon a better muster of your manners. 1647, Beaumont and Fletcher, The Queen of Corinth, act 2:
8. (collective) Showing. ▸ A group of peafowl, storks or sometimes other birds.
   • The muster of peafowl, known to occasionally wander off, made it unusually far this time. 2024 May 27, Paige Austin, “Escaped Bronx Zoo Peacocks Keep Neighbors Busy: Report”, in Patch:
   • I stood on the narrow grass causeway along Woody Pond, sometimes strewn with lazy alligators, and looked skyward at a most incredible sight: a muster of storks flew right overhead, in such tight formation, so near to the ground, that I could hear the slow, hypnotic woosh-woosh of their elegant, black-edged white wings. 2021 August 5, Alexandra Marvar, “Take a Gander”, in Savannah Magazine, archived from the original on 01 Aug 2026:
   • Oh, and she also had a little help from a muster of storks. 2026 July 31, “Noemi Rüegg returns to racing at Tour de France Femmes”, in EF Pro Cycling, archived from the original on 01 Aug 2026:
   • Again, on August 26th there was an exceptionally large muster of gulls, terns and waders at the Teesmouth 1950, Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyneside Naturalists' Field Club, Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, page 4:
   • Having seen a post by Linda on the Leelanau County Lost & Found Pets Page about the missing peacocks, the neighbor surmised it was from the Smith muster, grabbed the peahen by the tail and returned it to its home. 2016 May 6, Lissa Edwards, “Leelanau County: Missing Peahen and Her Children”, in MyNorth.com, archived from the original on 01 Aug 2026:
   • an early memorable scene in Disney's classic film Dumbo shows a muster of storks flying over Florida , each with a satchel in its mouth. 2025, Yotam Ophir, Misinformation and Society, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, page 70:

Forms

Deriveds

pass muster · cut the muster · muster roll · bangtail muster · muster-book · muster drill

Synonyms

military parade (review) · review (review) · parade (review)

Translations (60)

ru сго́н (roundup of cattle) · es modelo (something shown for imitation) · fr modèle (something shown for imitation) · da mønstring (assembling or review of troops) · sh postrojavanje (assembling or review of troops) · sv påfågelflock (collection of peafowl) · it adunata (any assemblage or display) · ga mustar (assembling or review of troops) · ota اجتماع (assembling or review of troops) · it assemblea (any assemblage or display) · sh smotra (assembling or review of troops) · pl pokaz (show; display) · ru сбо́р (assembling or review of troops) · fi malli (show; display) · bg сбор (any assemblage or display) · de Ansammlung (any assemblage or display) · pl apel (assembling or review of troops) · fi malli (something shown for imitation) · de Ausstellung (show; display) · fi vahvuus (sum total of an army) · fi näytös (any assemblage or display) · it adunanza (assembling or review of troops) · de Menge (any assemblage or display) · fi parvi (collection of peafowl) · fi tarkastus (assembling or review of troops) · nl tonen (show; display) · it adunata (assembling or review of troops) · ru сбо́ры (assembling or review of troops) · ru осмо́тр (something shown for imitation) · nl vertonen (show; display) · bg строй (assembling or review of troops) · es muestra (any assemblage or display) · de Musterung (assembling or review of troops) · it rivista (assembling or review of troops) · cs nástup (assembling or review of troops) · ru смо́тр (assembling or review of troops) · fi joukko (any assemblage or display) · de Versammlung (any assemblage or display) · ru пове́рка (assembling or review of troops) · sh jato pauna (collection of peafowl) · es revista (assembling or review of troops) · fi karjanerotus (roundup of cattle) · ga mustar (any assemblage or display) · it mostra (show; display) · pl zgromadzenie (any assemblage or display) · pl apel (any assemblage or display) · es exhibición (show; display) · pl stadko (collection of peafowl) · ru смотр (something shown for imitation) · it raduno (roundup of cattle) · pl wzór (something shown for imitation) · ru пока́з (show; display) · fi katselmus (assembling or review of troops) · it raduno (any assemblage or display) · fi erotus (roundup of cattle) · de Inspektion (assembling or review of troops) · pl spęd (roundup of cattle) · ru сбор (any assemblage or display) · pl przegląd (assembling or review of troops) · de Muster (something shown for imitation)

muster en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˈmʊstə/ (Northern-England)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈmʌstɚ/ (US)
• /ˈmʌstə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• /ˈmɐstə/ (Australia, New-Zealand)

Etymology

From Middle English musteren, borrowed from Anglo-Norman mostrer, Middle French monstrer, moustrer (whence the noun monstre, which gave the English noun), from Latin mōnstrō (“to show”), from moneō (“to admonish”). Cognate with French montrer (“to show”), Italian mostrare (“to show”), Spanish mostrar (“to show”). See also monster.

Meanings

1. (obsolete, transitive) To show, exhibit.
2. (intransitive) To be gathered together for parade, inspection, exercise, or the like (especially of a military force); to come together as parts of a force or body.
   • We were then in the third week of November; but, we took our measures so vigorously, and were so well seconded by the friends in whom we confided, that there was still a week of the month unexpired, when our party all came down together merrily, and mustered in the haunted house. 1859, Charles Dickens, The Haunted House:
   • The whole male population, men and boys, mustered on the top of the hill. 1900, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 3, page 268:
3. (transitive) To collect, call or assemble together, such as troops or a group for inspection, orders, display etc.
   • England took 57 minutes to muster a shot on target and once again lived dangerously in defence, surviving anxious moments when Ghana hit them on the counter-attack as the contest became a disjointed affair. 2026 June 23, Phil McNulty, “England 0-0 Ghana”, in BBC:
   • 12 July 2012, Sam Adams, AV Club Ice Age: Continental Drift With the help of some low-end boosting, Dinklage musters a decent amount of kid-appropriate menace—although he never does explain his gift for finding chunks of ice shaped like pirate ships—but Romano and Leary mainly sound bored, droning through their lines as if they’re simultaneously texting the contractors building the additions on their houses funded by their fat sequel paychecks.
4. (US, transitive) To enroll (into service).
5. (Australia, New-Zealand, transitive) To gather or round up livestock.
6. (transitive) To look within oneself to summon (a particular positive quality, such as strength, energy or courage); see: muster up.
   • That which Walter Raleigh had not courage to tell, not one of these men could muster the courage to ask. 1914, J. C. Snaith, chapter XXXIV, in Anne Feversham, page 278:
   • I couldn't muster the courage to tell him.
   • She musters a smile for his nostalgic tale 1978, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, “What a Fool Believes”:

Forms

Deriveds

muster out · muster up · muster in · musterable · unmustered · musterer · remuster

Synonyms

parade (gather troops for review) · rally (gather, unite)

Translations (40)

mi whakataka (to call or assemble together) · it adunare (to call or assemble together) · yue 集結 /集结 (to call or assemble together) · pl zwoływać (to call or assemble together) · es reunir (to call or assemble together) · es yuntar (to call or assemble together) · fi kutsua kokoon (to call or assemble together) · sh muštrati (to be gathered together) · cs odvést (to enroll in service) · da mønstre (to call or assemble together) · fi kutsua palvelukseen (to enroll in service) · pl zbierać (to be gathered together) · es allegar (to call or assemble together) · fi koota (to call or assemble together) · de in Verkehr bringen (to enroll in service) · es juntar (to call or assemble together) · bg строявам (to call or assemble together) · fi kutsua koolle (to call or assemble together) · cs sehnat (to call or assemble together) · yue 集合 (to call or assemble together) · cs sbírat (to call or assemble together) · cs svolat (to call or assemble together) · cs shromáždit (to call or assemble together) · pl zwołać (to call or assemble together) · sh muštrati (to call or assemble together) · fr battre le rappel (to call or assemble together) · yue 召集 (to call or assemble together) · de versammeln (to be gathered together) · cs nasbírat (to call or assemble together) · it radunare (to call or assemble together) · it assumere (to enroll in service) · cs shromáždit se (to be gathered together) · grc ἀθροίζω (to call or assemble together) · it arruolare (to enroll in service) · it ingaggiare (to enroll in service) · bg мобилизирам (to enroll in service) · bg свиквам (to call or assemble together) · it esibire (to call or assemble together) · fi kokoontua (to be gathered together) · pl zebrać (to be gathered together)

muster en · NOUN · etymology 2

Meanings

1. Synonym of mustee.
   • The next, the Quadroon, from the white and mulatto woman. The third descent, from a white and quadroon, is called a muster; from the fourth, between a white and a muster, springs the musteephinas and the fifth descent, viz. from a white and musteephina, is white by law, and of free birth; indeed the two latter classes are as white as a European. 1825, The Gentleman's Magazine, page 4:
   • Mixed bloods, they are suspended between two races, — mulattoes, quadroons, musters, mustafinas, cabres, griffies, zambis, quatravis, tresalvis, coyotes, saltatras, albarassados, cambusos, — neither white nor black, but Negroes. 1925, Charles Spurgeon Johnson, Elmer Anderson Carter, Opportunity: Journal of Negro Life, page 291:

Forms

Synonyms

mustee