noun · verb · 19 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈmʌstə/
US:/ˈmʌstɚ/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australian, New-Zealand:/ˈmɐstə/
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Northern-England:/ˈmʊstə/
rhymes with -ʌstə(ɹ)
CMU ARPABET:M AH1 S T ER0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A gathering.
An assemblage or display; a gathering, collection of people or things.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
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 [...] .
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A gathering.
An assembling or review of troops, as for parade, verification of numbers, inspection, exercise, or introduction into service.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: government, military, politics, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A gathering.
The sum total of an army when assembled for review and inspection; the whole number of effective men in an army.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A gathering.
A roundup of livestock for inspection, branding, drenching, shearing etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Australia, New-Zealand
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
Showing.
Something shown for imitation; a pattern.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
Showing.
A sample of goods.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
Showing.
An act of showing something; a display.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
Showing.
A collection of peafowl. (not a term used in zoology)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
Synonym of mustee.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: mustee
Antonyms: none provided
10
verb
Meaning 10
To show, exhibit.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
verb
Meaning 11
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
12
verb
Meaning 12
To collect, call or assemble together, such as troops or a group for inspection, orders, display etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
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.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
13
verb
Meaning 13
To enroll (into service).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
14
verb
Meaning 14
To gather or round up livestock.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Australia, New-Zealand, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
15
verb
Meaning 15
To look within oneself to summon (a particular positive quality, such as strength, energy or courage); see: muster up.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
I couldn't muster the courage to tell him.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
16
noun
Meaning 16
compulsory military service
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: call, send for
19
verb
Meaning 19
gather or bring together
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
muster the courage to do something
she rallied her intellect
Summon all your courage
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: rally, summon, come up, muster up
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: gather, garner, collect, pull together
History
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.
Across languages
Translations
100 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
сбор
(sbor)
— any assemblage or display
Finnish:
näytös
— any assemblage or display
Finnish:
joukko
— any assemblage or display
German:
Versammlung
— any assemblage or display
German:
Ansammlung
— any assemblage or display
German:
Menge
— any assemblage or display
Irish:
mustar
— any assemblage or display
Italian:
adunata
— any assemblage or display
Italian:
assemblea
— any assemblage or display
Italian:
raduno
— any assemblage or display
Polish:
zgromadzenie
— any assemblage or display
Polish:
apel
— any assemblage or display
Russian:
сбор
(sbor)
— any assemblage or display
Spanish:
muestra
— any assemblage or display
Bulgarian:
строй
(stroj)
— assembling or review of troops
Czech:
nástup
— assembling or review of troops
Danish:
mønstring
— assembling or review of troops
Finnish:
katselmus
— assembling or review of troops
Finnish:
tarkastus
— assembling or review of troops
German:
Musterung
— assembling or review of troops
German:
Inspektion
— assembling or review of troops
Irish:
mustar
— assembling or review of troops
Italian:
adunata
— assembling or review of troops
Italian:
adunanza
— assembling or review of troops
Italian:
rivista
— assembling or review of troops
Polish:
przegląd
— assembling or review of troops
Polish:
apel
— assembling or review of troops
Russian:
сбо́р
(sbór)
— assembling or review of troops
Russian:
смо́тр
(smótr)
— assembling or review of troops
Russian:
сбо́ры
(sbóry)
— assembling or review of troops
Russian:
пове́рка
(povérka)
— assembling or review of troops
Serbo-Croatian:
postrojavanje
— assembling or review of troops
Serbo-Croatian:
smotra
— assembling or review of troops
Spanish:
revista
— assembling or review of troops
Ottoman Turkish:
اجتماع
(ictimâʼ)
— assembling or review of troops
Finnish:
vahvuus
— sum total of an army
Finnish:
karjanerotus
— roundup of cattle
Finnish:
erotus
— roundup of cattle
Italian:
raduno
— roundup of cattle
Polish:
spęd
— roundup of cattle
Russian:
сго́н
(sgón)
— roundup of cattle
Finnish:
malli
— something shown for imitation
French:
modèle
— something shown for imitation
German:
Muster
— something shown for imitation
Polish:
wzór
— something shown for imitation
Russian:
смотр
(smotr)
— something shown for imitation
Russian:
осмо́тр
(osmótr)
— something shown for imitation
Spanish:
modelo
— something shown for imitation
Dutch:
tonen
— show; display
Dutch:
vertonen
— show; display
Finnish:
malli
— show; display
German:
Ausstellung
— show; display
Italian:
mostra
— show; display
Polish:
pokaz
— show; display
Russian:
пока́з
(pokáz)
— show; display
Spanish:
exhibición
— show; display
Finnish:
parvi
— collection of peafowl
Polish:
stadko
— collection of peafowl
Serbo-Croatian:
jato pauna
— collection of peafowl
Swedish:
påfågelflock
— collection of peafowl
Czech:
shromáždit se
— to be gathered together
Finnish:
kokoontua
— to be gathered together
German:
versammeln
— to be gathered together
Polish:
zbierać
— to be gathered together
Polish:
zebrać
— to be gathered together
Serbo-Croatian:
muštrati
— to be gathered together
Bulgarian:
свиквам
(svikvam)
— to call or assemble together
Bulgarian:
строявам
(strojavam)
— to call or assemble together
Chinese Cantonese:
召集
(ziu6 zaap6)
— to call or assemble together
Chinese Cantonese:
集合
(zaap6 hap6)
— to call or assemble together
Chinese Cantonese:
集結 /集结
(zaap6 git3)
— to call or assemble together
Czech:
svolat
— to call or assemble together
Czech:
shromáždit
— to call or assemble together
Czech:
nasbírat
— to call or assemble together
Czech:
sbírat
— to call or assemble together
Czech:
sehnat
— to call or assemble together
Danish:
mønstre
— to call or assemble together
Finnish:
kutsua koolle
— to call or assemble together
Finnish:
kutsua kokoon
— to call or assemble together
Finnish:
koota
— to call or assemble together
French:
battre le rappel
— to call or assemble together
Ancient Greek:
ἀθροίζω
(athroízō)
— to call or assemble together
Italian:
radunare
— to call or assemble together
Italian:
esibire
— to call or assemble together
Italian:
adunare
— to call or assemble together
Māori:
whakataka
— to call or assemble together
Polish:
zwoływać
— to call or assemble together
Polish:
zwołać
— to call or assemble together
Serbo-Croatian:
muštrati
— to call or assemble together
Spanish:
reunir
— to call or assemble together
Spanish:
yuntar
— to call or assemble together
Spanish:
juntar
— to call or assemble together
Spanish:
allegar
— to call or assemble together
Bulgarian:
мобилизирам
(mobiliziram)
— to enroll in service
Czech:
odvést
— to enroll in service
Finnish:
kutsua palvelukseen
— to enroll in service
