From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmastermas‧ter1 /ˈmɑːstə $ ˈmæstər/ ●●○ S3 W3 noun [countable] 1 skilled personGOOD AT someone who is very skilled at somethingmaster of Runyon was a master of the short story. a master of disguise Hitchcock was an acknowledged master of suspense.master at (doing) something She’s a master at manipulating people. a work of art by a true master2 → be a past master (at something)3 man with authorityPOWER old-fashioned a) a man who has control or authority over servants or workers → mistress You’ll have to ask the master’s permission. b) DHPthe male owner of a dog → mistress4 → be your own master5 → be master of your own fate/destiny6 originalCOPY a document, record etc from which copies are made I gave him the master to copy.7 → Master of Arts/Science/Education etc8 teacher a) British English old-fashionedSES a male teacher → headmaster, headmistress b) (also Master) a wise person whose ideas and words other people accept and follow a Zen master9 young boy (also Master) old-fashioned used when speaking or referring to a young boy How’s young Master Toby today? 10 university official (also Master) the person who is in charge of some university colleges in the UK the Master of Trinity College, Cambridge11 captain old-fashionedPMNTTW someone who is in charge of a ship → grand master, old master, quizmaster
Examples from the Corpus
master• Deaver was a master of his craft.• He was a master at economizing on his investments.• At one time, the French were the colonial masters of Vietnam.• He is master of the depths.• Maxwell's soul-singing style has been compared to that of such masters as Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye.• The upshot of the litigation was that the non-litigation costs, together with the litigation costs, were taxed by the taxing master.• Bill Ritchie is now the master of these techniques, but he learnt them originally from Lawrence.• Later that evening Heathcliff's servant Joseph arrived and asked to speak to the master.• They were waiting for their masters to carry them overseas to slavery.master at (doing) something• Long a master at making do, Margaret teaches me as much about food as I teach her.• It was the way she liked to work, and, watching him, she realised he was a master at it.• Mondell had a weakness for flattery and a less than athletic mind, and Roosevelt was a master at exploiting both.• To watch him interview these patients is to watch a master at work.• The taxpayers were the bursar and nine assistant masters at Malvern College.• Like a new lunar base, a baby must first master at least the arts of breathing and eating.• He's a past master at keeping his whereabouts secret, laying false trails.• They were masters at delayed gratification.mastermaster2 ●●○ verb [transitive] 1 LEARNto learn a skill or a language so well that you have no difficulty with it the skills needed to master a new language I never quite mastered the art of walking in high heels.► see thesaurus at learn2 CONTROLto manage to control a strong emotion SYN overcome He had learned to master his fear of heights.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
master• A new intelligentsia, bold and active, has eliminated the old one, bookish and conservative; and it masters.• Jimmy Carter was mastered by it.• Nguyen helps Vietnamese students who haven't mastered English.• How a boy learns to express and master his aggressiveness is important in the growth of his sense of self-worth.• They had a new machine in, but after a pound or so I had mastered it and won an extra spaceship.• The enterprise is hard because it has to involve mastering new language in new ways.• Loved for his big glasses and silly grin, he mastered the art of playing guitar while walking in circles.• She is afraid of the bathtub and has never mastered the art of taking a shower.• It takes years to master the art of weaving.• Children have usually mastered the concepts of weight and length by the age of 8.• She soon got to know the local customs and eventually mastered the language.• It appeared to me that the only thing he had never mastered was paper hanging.mastered the art of• It strikes me that Tommy has already mastered the art of being a toady.• Payne has mastered the art of friendship.• Have grizzly bears mastered the art of go-kart racing?• Loved for his big glasses and silly grin, he mastered the art of playing guitar while walking in circles.• It had never properly mastered the art of sitting on humans.• She is afraid of the bathtub and has never mastered the art of taking a shower.• You're so efficient it seems strange you haven't mastered the art of the dumpling.mastermaster3 adjective [only before noun] 1 COPYa master copy of a document, recording etc is the one from which copies are mademaster list/copy/recording etc We’ve lost the master disk.2 MAINmost important or main the master control center at NASA3 → master craftsman/chef/plumber etcExamples from the Corpus
master• All the information is gathered in the master file.master list/copy/recording etc• The advent of live links raises interesting questions about which is the master copy.• The master list includes about a dozen organisations covering the main ethnic groups.• The list is typed; a master copy is held by the store and another is sent on to you.• The master copy is made on special coated paper which has a glossy surface on one side.• The master copy is prepared on a thin metal plate or special paper.• The master copy is then placed round the drum of the duplicator.• It then passes under a roller which presses it against the master copy, leaving a positive image on the copy paper.• One of Psion's engineers had collected a master copy of a new program.From Longman Business Dictionarymastermas‧ter1 /ˈmɑːstəˈmæstər/ noun [countable] a document, record etc from which copies are madeI gave him the master to copy.mastermaster2 adjective [only before a noun]1master copy/ file/list etc the original thing from which copies are madeWhen a large number of copies of the same document are required, they can be photocopied from a master copy.2master craftsman/builder/chef etcJOB someone who is very skilled at a job done with their hands and can teach it to other peopleThe company now uses semi-skilled operators instead of master bakers.3the most important or main thingMr Bond’s master company, Bond CorporationOrigin master1 (1000-1100) Old French maistre and the word it came from, Latin magister “chief” 