dungeon master
dungeon master noun: a game master in Dungeons & Dragons games.
Noun (1)
dungeon master (plural dungeon masters, abbreviation DM)
- A game master in Dungeons & Dragons games.
- He shrugged helplessly. "Whenever we've played before, it was so orderly: people would get their turns one by one, then the dungeon master would say what the results were, then we'd take another turn . . . but this way . . ." He shook his head.1991, Vivian Vande Velde, User Unfriendly, page 48
- Nicholas and his black-masked companions waited with feet planted apart as the dungeon master fumbled for his key ring.1998, Nora Roberts, Jill Gregory, R.C. Ryan, Marianne Willman, Once Upon a Castle, page 147
- Synonyms:
- game master, GM, ST, storyteller
- A man who manages a dungeon (an underground prison or vault).
- “After the dungeon master freed me,” Publius continued as he eagerly took bites of food and sips of wine, “I crept to my apartment, changed into work clothes, filled my briefcase with documents and all the cash I had.[…]”2009, Edward J. Fisher, “Let Loose the Hounds of War”, in The Lands of Inchoate: The Now Time, 2nd edition, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN, pages 139–140
- When Adalbert next saw the flicker of the dungeon master’s torch, he tried to follow its faint glimmer onto the opposite side of his cell. He could see the cot but nothing more than a murky silhouette covered in a blanket. The dungeon master slid a water cup and two bowls of gruel through the...2010, Andrew J. Peters, “The Vain Prince”, in Radclyffe [pseudonym; Lenora Ruth Barot], Stacia Seaman, editors, Myth & Magic: Queer Fairy Tales, Valley Falls, N.Y.: Bold Strokes Books, published 16...
- A man who manages a dungeon (a room dedicated to sadomasochistic sexual activity).
- She stared at the metal bars hanging from the wood beams of the ceiling. Lined handcuffs dangled from the ends. The dungeon master would suspend his handcuffed victim from that horizontal bar. “Don’t be a pantywaist, baby. This is what you wanted.”2010, Jasmine Haynes, “Surrender to Me”, in Hers for the Evening, New York, N.Y.: Heat/Berkley Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 271
- “It’s role playing. We’ve done this a lot.” / She gave him a look that hopefully told him she questioned his sanity. “Crazy role playing.” / “Really?” He arched a brow and stepped between her legs. “Crazier than me being the dungeon master? Crazier than naughty virgin school girl, French maid—which...2012, Mia Downing, chapter 6, in Spy Games: Lethal Limits (Spy Games; 2), Adams Basin, N.Y.: The Wild Rose Press, →ISBN, page 95
- A man who supervises a dungeon (a room dedicated to sadomasochistic sexual activity).
- Most club parties and private parties held in commercial dungeons in the United States have a dungeon master, mistress, or monitor (DM), whose responsibility it is to make sure that scenes are consensual and house rules are obeyed.2001, Claudia Varrin, “SM Players, Their Scene, and Their Etiquette”, in Erotic Surrender: The Sensual Joys of Female Submission, New York, N.Y.: Citadel Press, →ISBN, page 204
- Safety concerns and correct techniques for other behaviors are commonly discussed informally. Activities may vary from the accepted “safe” technique can lead to interruption by the dungeon master/mistress.2003 January 28, Charles [Allen] Moser, “S/M Interactions in Semipublic Settings”, in Christopher Hensley, Richard Tewksbury, editors, Sexual Deviance: A Reader, Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner...
Noun (2) capitalized: Dungeon Master
Dungeon Master (plural Dungeon Masters)
- Alternative letter-case form of dungeon master.
- Check with a Dungeon Master before a scene that involves piercing, fire play, waxing, or suspension.2003, Suzi Parker, “Sticks and Stones, Whips and Chains”, in Sex in the South: Unbuckling the Bible Belt, Boston, Mass.: Justin, Charles & Co., →ISBN, page 101
Examples of dungeon master in a sentence
- A few of the boys became really good dungeon masters, and they all learned a lot about percentages and chance and stuff that I just couldn't grasp.1999, Maureen Cassidy Quackebush, “Real Magic”, in Donna Steichen, editor, Prodigal Daughters: Catholic Women Come Home to the Church, page...
- They give up a great deal in dispensing with the custom-tailored, high storytelling craft of our new age Dungeon Masters.2006, Nicholas V. Iuppa, Terry Borst, Story and Simulations for Serious Games: Tales from the Trenches, page 118:
- They are all named Valentine, and the Dungeon Master makes certain they die with the least possible amount of dignity.2011, Sam Lipsyte, “The Dungeon Master”, in Geraldine Brooks, Heidi Pitlor, editors, The Best American Short Stories: 2011, unnumbered page:
- When Adalbert next saw the flicker of the dungeon master’s torch, he tried to follow its faint glimmer onto the opposite side of his cell.2010, Andrew J. Peters, “The Vain Prince”, in Radclyffe [pseudonym; Lenora Ruth Barot], Stacia Seaman, editors, Myth & Magic: Queer Fairy...
Synonyms of dungeon master
Forms of dungeon master
| plural | dungeon masters |
|---|---|
| abbreviation | DM |
| alternative form | Dungeon Master |
| alternative form | dungeon-master |
| alternative form | dungeonmaster |
| plural | Dungeon Masters |
Words formed from dungeon master
Questions about dungeon master
- What does dungeon master mean?
- Dungeon master means a game master in Dungeons & Dragons games.
- How do you use dungeon master in a sentence?
- A few of the boys became really good dungeon masters, and they all learned a lot about percentages and chance and stuff that I just couldn't grasp.
- What part of speech is dungeon master?
- Dungeon master is a noun.
- What is the plural of dungeon master?
- The plural of dungeon master is dungeon masters.
Words near dungeon master in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: dungeon master (page history and authors); Dungeon Master (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “dungeon master.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/dungeon_master. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.