# muster

/ˈməstɝ/ (US) · /mˈʌstɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/muster
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. to summon a feeling

verb · CEFR B2

to find enough of a quality like courage, energy, or support within yourself to do something.

For teachers: to summon or elicit a particular internal quality or reaction, often with effort.

- She finally managed to muster the courage to ask for a pay rise.
- Despite his exhaustion, the candidate struggled to muster enough enthusiasm to finish the final speech of the campaign trail.

Usage: Often used with 'up' as in 'to muster up the courage'.

### 2. military assembly

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to bring soldiers together for a formal meeting or to check who is there.

For teachers: to assemble troops or a crew for inspection, roll call, or service.

- The captain ordered the sailors to muster on the deck at dawn.
- The general spent the week attempting to muster a force large enough to defend the border before the winter snows arrived.

Usage: Can be used transitively (to muster troops) or intransitively (the troops mustered).

### 3. rounding up animals

verb · CEFR C1 · Dialect · American English · British English

to gather livestock, like sheep or cattle, into one place.

For teachers: to gather or round up livestock, particularly in large-scale farming contexts.

- It took the farmers all day to muster the sheep from the hills.
- The station hands used helicopters and motorbikes to muster the cattle across the vast northern territory.

Teaching tip: This sense is most common in Australian and New Zealand English regarding sheep or cattle stations.

### 4. a gathering

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

a formal gathering of people, usually for an inspection or to count them.

For teachers: a formal assembly or roll call, typically of military personnel or a ship's crew.

- The soldiers stood in a straight line for the morning muster.
- Any sailor who failed to appear for the emergency muster was subject to immediate disciplinary action by the first mate.

## Examples

- She had to muster all her courage to speak.
- The small political party struggled to muster enough votes to pass the new environmental law.
- Despite his exhaustion after the long journey, the diplomat managed to muster a polite smile for the waiting cameras and reporters.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.