- master
- {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun1 person in chargeADJECTIVE▪ political▪
His political masters are all old right-wing politicians.
▪ colonial▪This was a time when many nations were trying to shake off their colonial masters.
▪ slave▪His father was a wealthy, prominent Virginia slave master.
▪ puppet▪The director is an unseen puppet master, operating behind the scenes.
▪ cruel▪Fate can be a cruel master. (figurative)
VERB + MASTER▪ obey, please, serve▪corrupt people who would serve any master
▪ disobeyPREPOSITION▪ master of▪He wants to be master of his own destiny.
2 person with skillADJECTIVE▪ acknowledged, great, undisputed▪This portrait is the work of an acknowledged master.
▪ grand▪Chaplin, the grand master of physical comedy
▪ chess, fencing, karate, etc.MASTER + NOUN▪ builder, craftsman, painter (esp. BrE)PREPOSITION▪ master of▪a master of disguise
PHRASES▪ be a past master at sth, be a past master of sth (= to be very good at sth)▪He's a past master at delaying meetings.
3 Master's university degreeVERB + MASTER'S▪ do, study for, take▪He did a Master's at Hull University.
▪ earn, get▪She got her Master's last year.
▪ complete, finish▪In May I completed my Master's in business administration.
▪ have▪Lorenzo has a Master's in communications from Boston University.
MASTER'S + NOUN▪ degree, thesisPREPOSITION▪ master in▪{{Roman}}II.{{/Roman}}a Master's in politics
verbADVERB▪ completely, fully, thoroughly▪ not quite▪ quickly▪ easilyVERB + MASTER▪ be difficult to▪a technique that was surprisingly difficult to master
▪ struggle to, try to▪the challenge of trying to master a new language
▪ fail toPHRASES▪ master the art of sth▪He never completely mastered the art of lip-reading.
▪ master the basics▪Once you've mastered the basics, try learning more difficult chords.
Master is used with these nouns as the object: ↑art, ↑basics, ↑craft, ↑fundamentals, ↑intricacy, ↑language, ↑move, ↑rage, ↑skill, ↑technique{{Roman}}III.{{/Roman}}adj.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
