2 meanings
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1 —as in:
muster strength or the crew
Definition
to gatherThe exact meaning of this sense of muster is often subject to its context. For example:
- "mustered her courage/strength/a smile" — to gather from within
- "muster the soldiers/crew" — to gather — typically for inspection
- "muster volunteers/votes" — to gather enough to do something
- She mustered the courage to introduce herself.
mustered = gathered
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- Can you muster enough votes to get it passed?
- Muster the crew for inspection.
- Go, muster men.Shakespeare -- King Richard III
- And that, as it was, all the strength we could muster was required to cope with the Count's extraordinary power.Bram Stoker -- Dracula
- I was feeling better now that it was half over, and I sat next to Maxon with the best posture I could muster.Kiera Cass -- The Selection
- I mustered the courage to walk through the silent house by myself and reached the warehouse.Anne Frank -- The Diary of a Young Girl
- She could not muster her usual venom.Markus Zusak -- The Book Thief
- I couldn't muster up a single commonplace out of the thousand in my head.F. Scott Fitzgerald -- The Great Gatsby
- In March, however, he mustered his resolve once more and resumed his lonely trek.Jon Krakauer -- Into the Wild
muster = gather
muster = gather
muster = gather
mustered = gathered (from within)
muster = gather from within
muster = come up with (think of)
mustered = gathered
2 —as in:
didn't pass muster
Definition
inspection — especially of soldiers or a crew- She didn't pass muster.
muster = inspection
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- We were called for muster at dawn.
- This bright panoply was not meant for mere idle show, but had been worn by the Governor on many a solemn muster and training field, and had glittered, moreover, at the head of a regiment in the Pequod war.Nathaniel Hawthorne -- The Scarlet Letter
muster = inspection of soldiers
Less commonly:
More rarely, muster can refer to a counting or census. Much more rarely, muster can refer to a call to duty such as compulsory military service or jury duty. In that sense, you may see the expression muster in or muster out. Still more rarely, a muster can refer to a group of peacocks.
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