marshal

noun mar·shal \ ˈmär-shəl \

variants: or less commonly marshall

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

Editor's Note: marshal Has Old German Roots

Definition of marshal

1 a : a high official in the household of a medieval king, prince, or noble originally having charge of the cavalry but later usually in command of the military forces

b : a person who arranges and directs the ceremonial aspects of a gathering

a parade marshal

2 a : field marshal

b : a general officer of the highest military rank

3 a : an officer having charge of prisoners

b (1) : a ministerial (see ministerial 3) officer appointed for a judicial district (as of the U.S.) to execute the process of the courts and perform various duties similar to those of a sheriff

(2) : a city law officer entrusted with particular duties

c : the administrative head of a city police department or fire department

—

marshalcy

play \-sē\ noun

—

marshalship

play \-ˌship\ noun

See marshal defined for English-language learners

See marshal defined for kids

marshal was our Word of the Day on 12/29/2014. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of marshal from the Web

After a high school shooting that left 10 dead in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott announced a plan Wednesday to improve school safety that included more armed school marshals in classrooms.

— madison park, CNN, "Alabama will allow trained school administrators to be armed," 1 June 2018
Honorary parade marshals will be Andrew Ruganis and Bryce Hunt.

— jesse leavenworth, Courant Community, "Manchester Memorial Day Parade Set For Monday," 25 May 2018
Krznarich worked the Crime Prevention Unite in Warren County, was a DARE officer and worked as a village marshal for the Harveysburg Police Department.

— sue kiesewetter, Cincinnati.com, "'Officer Mike' helped train generations of Fairfield Twp. officers," 1 May 2018
With Friday’s court filing, federal marshals could be on the way soon to do what local police have so far resisted.

— gregory s. schneider, The Seattle Times, "Mother, daughter perch in trees to block Virginia pipeline," 22 Apr. 2018
With Friday's court filing, federal marshals could be on the way soon to do what local police have so far resisted.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Perched on a platform high in a tree, a 61-year-old Virginia woman fights a gas pipeline," 21 Apr. 2018
One day, on the way from jail to court, Pokora was placed in a marshal’s vehicle with someone who looked familiar—a pale 20-year-old guy with a wispy build and teeth marred by a Skittles habit.

— brendan i. koerner, WIRED, "The Young and the Reckless," 17 Apr. 2018
Leneuoti Tuaua, a former marshal for the High Court of American Samoa who holds two chief titles, was one of seven American Samoans who filed the first lawsuit.

— National Geographic, "Why Are American Samoans Not U.S. Citizens?," 30 Mar. 2018
As the jammed courtroom emptied, deputy marshals led Cunningham away to be fingerprinted and booked into the Metropolitan Correctional Center downtown.

— san diego union-tribune, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Cunningham sentenced," 4 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'marshal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

marshal Has Old German Roots

Although most French words are derived from Latin, a few—among them marshal—are Germanic. In the last centuries of the Roman Empire, the Germanic Franks occupied what is now France and left behind a substantial linguistic legacy, including what became medieval French mareschal. Mareschal came from a Frankish compound noun corresponding to Old High German marahscal, composed of marah, meaning “horse” (Old English mearh, with a feminine form mere, whence English mare), and scalc, meaning “servant” (Old English scealc). The original “marshal” was a servant in charge of horses, but by the time the word was borrowed from French into English in the 14th century it referred primarily to a high royal official.

Origin and Etymology of marshal

Middle English, from Anglo-French mareschal, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German marahscalc marshal, from marah horse + scalc servant

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

marshal

verb

variants: or less commonly marshall

Definition of marshal

marshaled or marshalled; marshaling or marshalling \ˈmärsh-(ə-)liŋ\

transitive verb

1 : to place in proper rank or position

marshaling the troops

2 : to bring together and order in an appropriate or effective way

marshal arguments

marshaled her thoughts before answering the question

3 : to lead ceremoniously or solicitously : usher

marshaling her little group of children down the street

intransitive verb

: to take form or order

ideas marshaling neatly

See marshal defined for English-language learners

Examples of marshal in a Sentence

She carefully marshaled her thoughts before answering the question.
marshaled their forces for battle

Recent Examples of marshal from the Web

Musical director Caroline Benzon oversees the blissful assemblage of singers, while choreographer Tania Possick marshal the troops ingeniously in a limited space.

— matt cooper, latimes.com, "The week ahead in SoCal theatre: 'Parade,' 'The Squirrels,' 'The Crucible' and more," 9 June 2018
This was one of very few clear opportunities for the hosts, thanks largely to a towering display by Fabio Cannavaro, who marshalled his defence admirably.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 3 Weeks to Go - Masterful Italy Edge Past Hosts Germany in Unforgettable Clash," 31 May 2018
Foley and other opponents have marshaled a coalition swarming social media, rolling out studies about how the mere breathing in of manure odors can cause health problems in the elderly and asthma in children.

— rick montgomery, kansascity, "Here's the beef: Missouri cattle feedlot wants to grow; Powell Gardens fears the stink | The Kansas City Star," 27 May 2018
This marshaled the political will by world leaders, who produced the most rigorous and effective sanctions on a state in modern history, forcing Iran’s government to the negotiating table.

— karl vick, Time, "Former Israeli PM: The Iran Deal Was Flawed. But Trump's Decision Makes World 'More Uncertain'," 9 May 2018
Now, Gutierrez -- the only Latino to represent Illinois -- is setting his sights on marshaling Latino voters in the country's heartland, as well as helping Puerto Rico rebuild following Hurricane Maria's devastating hit to the island last September.

— mark preston, CNN, "Rep. Gutierrez passes on presidential bid, will focus on mobilizing Latino voters," 10 May 2018
And Pence and McCarthy have succeeded in marshaling some of the party's most prolific givers to open their wallets for their fundraising efforts.

— emily cadei, sacbee, "How Mike Pence is trying to save California Republicans | The Sacramento Bee," 30 Apr. 2018
But to get this far in the FDA approval process, GW had to marshal the same scientific evidence of safety and efficacy that every other drug manufacturer must present.

— fred vogelstein, WIRED, "My Son Pioneered an Epilepsy Drug Derived From Marijuana. An FDA Panel Just Approved It," 20 Apr. 2018
Inside Facebook, Sandberg is running point, marshaling company resources and assembling SWAT teams, to make good on promises Zuckerberg has made to Congress and Facebook users.

— jessica guynn, USA TODAY, "Where was Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg during Cambridge Analytica data leak?," 13 Apr. 2018

Origin and Etymology of marshal

see ¹marshal

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

marshal Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of marshal

order, arrange, marshal, organize, systematize, methodize mean to put persons or things into their proper places in relation to each other. order suggests a straightening out so as to eliminate confusion.

- ordered her business affairs

arrange implies a setting in sequence, relationship, or adjustment.

- arranged the files numerically

marshal suggests gathering and arranging in preparation for a particular operation or effective use.

- marshaling the facts for argument

organize implies arranging so that the whole aggregate works as a unit with each element having a proper function.

- organized the volunteers into teams

systematize implies arranging according to a predetermined scheme.

- systematized billing procedures

methodize suggests imposing an orderly procedure rather than a fixed scheme.

- methodizes every aspect of daily living

MARSHAL Defined for English Language Learners

marshal

noun

Definition of marshal for English Language Learners

: an officer of the highest rank in some military forces
: a federal official who is responsible for doing the things that are ordered by a court of law, finding and capturing criminals, etc.
: the head of a division of a police or fire department

marshal

verb

Definition of marshal for English Language Learners

: to arrange (a group of people, such as soldiers) in an orderly way
: to move or lead (a group of people) in a careful way
: to arrange or prepare (something, such as your thoughts or ideas) in a clear, effective, or organized way

MARSHAL Defined for Kids

marshal

noun mar·shal \ ˈmär-shəl \

Definition of marshal for Students

1 : a person who arranges and directs ceremonies

a parade marshal

2 : an officer of the highest rank in some military forces

3 : a federal official having duties similar to those of a sheriff

4 : the head of a division of a city government

fire marshal

marshal

verb

Definition of marshal for Students

marshaled or marshalled; marshaling or marshalling

: to arrange in order

marshal troops

Law Dictionary

marshal

noun mar·shal \ ˈmär-shəl \

legal Definition of marshal

1 : a ministerial officer appointed for each judicial district of the U.S. to execute the process of the courts and perform various duties similar to those of a sheriff

2 : a law officer in some cities (as New York) of the U.S. who is entrusted with particular duties (as serving the process of justice of the peace courts)

3 : the administrative head of the police or especially fire department in some cities of the U.S.

marshal

transitive verb

variants: also marshall

legal Definition of marshal

marshaled also marshalled; marshaling also marshalling

: to fix the order of (assets) with respect to liability or availability for payment of obligations; also : to fix the order of (as liens or remedies) with respect to priority against a debtor's assets — see also marshaling