Someone who has control over something or someone.
master — Definition and meaning
• The owner of an animal or slave.
• The captain of a merchant ship; a master mariner.
• A male head of household.
• Someone who employs others.
• An expert at something.
• A tradesman who is qualified to teach apprentices.
• A male schoolteacher.
• A skilled artist.
• A man or a boy; mister. See Master.
• A master's degree; a type of postgraduate degree, usually undertaken after a bachelor degree.
• A person holding such a degree.
• The original of a document or of a recording.
• The copyright in a sound recording.
• The primary wide shot of a scene, into which the closeups will be edited later.
• A parajudicial officer (such as a referee, an auditor, an examiner, or an assessor) specially appointed to help a court with its proceedings.
• A device that is controlling other devices or is an authoritative source.
• A person holding an office of authority, especially the presiding officer.
• A person holding a similar office in other civic societies.
• Ellipsis of master key.
• A male dominant.
(Adjective) Masterful.
• Main, principal or predominant.
• Highly skilled.
• Original.
(Verb) To be a master.
• To become the master of; to subject to one's will, control, or authority; to conquer; to overpower; to subdue.
• To learn to a high degree of proficiency.
• To own; to possess.
• To make a master copy of.
• To earn a Master's degree.
(Noun) A vessel having a specified number of masts.
The importance of master
master appears in U.S. legal practice across multiple practice areas. Knowing what it means — and when it applies — can determine the outcome of motions, filings, and negotiations. For non-lawyers, the value of looking up a precise definition is that legal terms often carry meanings that differ from everyday usage; relying on the common meaning can lead to costly missteps.
How master is applied
In practice, master is invoked when parties, judges, or attorneys need to identify the legal status of an issue, the rights of those involved, or the procedural step required next. The definition shown above is sourced from Wiktionary , which is widely cited in U.S. legal practice. Because U.S. law is jurisdictionally layered — federal, state, and sometimes local — the precise application of the term can vary by court, so check the controlling authority for your specific case.