What's the difference between muster and mutter?

Muster


Definition:

  • (v. t.) Something shown for imitation; a pattern.
  • (v. t.) A show; a display.
  • (v. t.) An assembling or review of troops, as for parade, verification of numbers, inspection, exercise, or introduction into service.
  • (v. t.) The sum total of an army when assembled for review and inspection; the whole number of effective men in an army.
  • (v. t.) Any assemblage or display; a gathering.
  • (v. t.) To collect and display; to assemble, as troops for parade, inspection, exercise, or the like.
  • (v. t.) Hence: To summon together; to enroll in service; to get together.
  • (v. i.) To be gathered together for parade, inspection, exercise, or the like; to come together as parts of a force or body; as, his supporters mustered in force.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The hosts had resisted through the early stages, emulating their rugged first-half displays against Manchester United and Arsenal here this season, and even mustered a flurry of half-chances just before the interval to offer a reminder they might glean greater reward thereafter.
  • (2) After I pointed this out, even with all the racist retorts he could muster, being told “he’s got you there mate” by his friends was the knockout that saved the night.
  • (3) A formation featuring Mile Jedinak playing just in front of the back four suggested a draw would suit them just fine, and a horribly sterile first half, during which each team mustered precisely one shot on goal, confirmed as much.
  • (4) But while the imprisoned activists and their supporters are fervently hoping that the Queen of Pop will use her Russian platform (Olimpiyskiy stadium, which is a pretty big one) to make a strong statement in their support, so far all she's been able to muster in public is a remark that she's "sorry that they've been arrested".
  • (5) The Jobseekers Act 1995 made this requirement explicit in relation to work schemes and it was on this basis that the court found that the sketchy 2011 regulations failed to pass muster.
  • (6) Reding may be hoping that she can muster enough support in the parliament to challenge the national governments and force them to back down.
  • (7) The radical republican group Eirigi could only muster around 150 demonstrators at the southern end of Parnell Square.
  • (8) Though his bloc emerged with the largest number of seats in the 328-seat parliament, it is difficult to see from where he could muster the numbers he needs.
  • (9) Yes, it’s been quite a banner season for the collective of self-identifying core gamers who gather on forums to muster shared fury.
  • (10) It was brutally hard on the home team, who had dominated the first half and created further chances in the second, including one for Traoré on 85 minutes, when he could not muster enough power in a close-range header.
  • (11) While Liverpool seemed stretched by cruel successive away fixtures, Chelsea arguably mustered some of their finest attacking football of the campaign through that ferocious opening period.
  • (12) The Andre documentary proved more popular than BBC2's struggling US drama import Defying Gravity, which could muster only 700,000 viewers and a 3% share in the same slot.
  • (13) This might pass muster if we were merely letting sleeping dogs lie.
  • (14) "After consideration of the bill and having applied my mind thereto, I am of the view that the bill as it stands does not pass constitutional muster."
  • (15) They didn't manage to muster a threat but the mere fact that they prevented Celtic from getting off a shot for a few minutes has audibly raised the tension in the crowd ... 8.03pm BST 18 min: "I hope that the distance travelled explains Celtic's result last week," blubs Ian Kay.
  • (16) Chaffetz expressed his dissatisfaction with the status quo in the House GOP caucus and said: “Realistically, we can’t vote to promote the existing leadership.” He also suggested that while McCarthy could muster support from a majority of House Republicans in a secret ballot, he would be unable to get the absolute majority of congressmen in a vote on the floor of the House.
  • (17) Even after giving ground on the bill, the White House and Democrats were forced to go to extraordinary lengths to muster enough support for passage.
  • (18) City had never previously lost a Premier League game when their thrilling Argentinian had scored and, had David Silva not been guilty of over-elaborating and Javi García mustered a more convincing header from the Spaniard's free-kick delivery, that record might have been maintained.
  • (19) The biggest problem of all is a political one: the Bank is in charge of securing a recovery with whatever technical armoury it can muster; the government makes cuts and invests token sums in new projects.
  • (20) Photograph: Mike Bowers for The Guardian The government had its first win: Parry easily secured the job of the new president, with 63 votes, while Ludlam mustered support from only 10 senators.

Mutter


Definition:

  • (v. i.) To utter words indistinctly or with a low voice and lips partly closed; esp., to utter indistinct complaints or angry expressions; to grumble; to growl.
  • (v. i.) To sound with a low, rumbling noise.
  • (v. t.) To utter with imperfect articulations, or with a low voice; as, to mutter threats.
  • (n.) Repressed or obscure utterance.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) When accused of muttering it while reciting Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo, during filming of BBC2s Top Gear, he said he had not, that he would absolutely never use "the most racist word of them all".
  • (2) It's the kind of TV that makes for a wipe-your-weekend-plans box set: the ending of every crack-fix of an episode had me twitchily reaching for the remote to a muttered internal monologue of: "Next one, next one, now, now…" Danes carries the series as the bipolar CIA agent Carrie Mathison, whose furious vigilance is hard to distinguish from pathological mania as she investigates, and ultimately falls for, Sergeant Brody (Damian Lewis), a Marine who may or may not be a terrorist after eight years held captive by al-Qaida.
  • (3) Brownites used to mutter bitterly about their hero for failing to compete with Tony Blair after the death of John Smith.
  • (4) And that voice like a whip-crack: impish, transgressive, swooping from a mutter to a scream.
  • (5) Sampson became the discreet, muttering centre of a web, connected by telephone and letter, telegram and fax, to an astounding cast of world leaders and commentarians, film stars and novelists.
  • (6) For what it's worth, Labour lost on a whopping great 18% swing to the Tories, yet despite an awful lot of muttering absolutely nothing happened.
  • (7) True, he has trounced them so thoroughly that any mutterings of future challenges are an empty blast of sour breath.
  • (8) Two years as a minister is plenty of time to stack up enemies, or at least a few mutterings that you’ve made a hash of the job.
  • (9) Obviously it should be scoffed down in a box set, like a Supersize V Superskinny obese person's enormo-breakfast, before a period of lying green-faced in a darkened room, listening to experimental jazz, muttering, "Carrie can't let another mistake happen!
  • (10) "It's going to destroy property prices in this area," muttered one.
  • (11) As he checks the woman’s heart with a stethoscope, he explains exactly what is about to happen to her – the nurses will hook her up to an EKG machine, among other procedures – and gets the woman to lie down, still muttering at the original nurse but pliable.
  • (12) "Any politician that claims to you that they're an ordinary person is not telling you the truth," Miliband mutters, half smiling and wincing.
  • (13) Even the most fervent haters of the BBC can only mutter and mumble when Attenborough productions are mentioned.
  • (14) It was a misjudgment in the heat of the moment.” The forlorn-looking Formula One world champion muttered: “I can’t really express the way I’m feeling at the moment so I won’t attempt to.
  • (15) Not via muttering idiots, but upfront, with an acrid twist.
  • (16) He’s not just a straight-talker, he’s a man who reliably says the things politicians dream their opponents will be caught muttering within range of forgotten radio-mics – except he declaims them on a podium in front of thousands.
  • (17) ", seconds before splashing about in the sub-zero Atlantic muttering "bugger".
  • (18) Bit of muttering about justifying selling one's own grandmother Updated at 1.21pm BST 1.06pm BST As Barb Jacobson, of the European Citizen's initiative for a basic income, puts it, a basic income should be high enough for everyone to have a dignified life in society, and to take part in society.
  • (19) One woman muttered angrily to her companion: "It is the dumbing down of America."
  • (20) Some of the mutterings from Threadneedle Street are not the stuff to give the troops."