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Definition of marshal
1a : 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 forcesb : a person who arranges and directs the ceremonial aspects of a gathering a parade marshal
2a : field marshalb : a general officer of the highest military rank
3a : an officer having charge of prisonersb (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 dutiesc : the administrative head of a city police department or fire department
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marshal was our Word of the Day on 12/29/2014. Hear the podcast!
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Recent Examples of marshal from the Web
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Thompson said federal marshals are helping in the search for the suspects.
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In the early days, fire marshals issued strict instructions about how to manage teeming crowds.
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The marshals did not provide more details about McIntyre’s case.
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Information must be submitted directly to the U.S. Marshals in order to claim the reward.
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Westlake Park, 401 Pine St., hosts the official start to the 10 weeks of Seafair, with a free program from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m to announce Seafair’s new king, queen and grand marshal.
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Falcon’s brother, Gustavo, was arrested in Orlando by the U.S. marshals in April after being on the lam for 26 years.
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The state fire marshal is on scene to investigate the cause of the explosion.
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A show of pride: San Diego has an up-front presence at the Capital Pride Parade today in Washington, D.C., where San Diego gay rights activist Nicole Murray-Ramirez will serve as a grand marshal.
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 result from the 3rd-century Germanic occupation of France, and the early French mareschal is one such word. Mareschal is related to Old High German marahscalc, formed by combining marah ("horse") and scalc ("servant"). Our marshal, which comes from mareschal, originally meant "a person in charge of the upkeep of horses" when it was borrowed into Middle English, but by the 13th century it described a high royal official as well. Eventually it came to have other meanings.
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
marshal
marshall
Definition of marshal
marshaled
ormarshalled
;marshaling
ormarshalling
\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
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
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Lessons from World War II and Nokia Finland has a history of marshaling its spatial and economic resources and thinking out of the box.
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Even his work as whip, in charges of marshaling votes from GOP members of the House, can be delegated.
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Yet Trump’s similarities with Jackson—and the wider forces marshaled by both men—are more instructive than the comparisons to Nixon’s obstruction of justice.
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In order to have new elections, lawmakers would have to draw new districts and set new candidate filing periods while election officials scramble to print ballots and marshal an unexpected election.
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The weeks of preparation for the drawing of the fateful numbers, the marshaling and organization of the huge crop of information gathered pell-mell on registration day, are vague memories now.
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In 1926, Thompson marshaled together a new faction in the Illinois Republican Party: America First.
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But holding hearings and writing legislation isn't the same as marshaling the political capital to undertake difficult votes.
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On that day, the Litterbugz marshaled 1,200 volunteers.
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.
Origin and Etymology of marshal
see 1marshal
Synonym Discussion of marshal
MARSHAL Defined for English Language Learners
marshal
playDefinition of marshal for English Language Learners
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: an officer of the highest rank in some military forces
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: a federal official who is responsible for doing the things that are ordered by a court of law, finding and capturing criminals, etc.
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: the head of a division of a police or fire department
marshal
Definition of marshal for English Language Learners
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: to arrange (a group of people, such as soldiers) in an orderly way
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: to move or lead (a group of people) in a careful way
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: to arrange or prepare (something, such as your thoughts or ideas) in a clear, effective, or organized way
MARSHAL Defined for Kids
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
Definition of marshal for Students
marshaled
ormarshalled
;marshaling
ormarshalling
: to arrange in order marshal troops
Law Dictionary
marshal
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
marshall
Legal Definition of marshal
marshaled
alsomarshalled
marshaling
alsomarshalling
: 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
Learn More about marshal
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See words that rhyme with marshal Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for marshal Spanish Central: Translation of marshal Nglish: Translation of marshal for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of marshal for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about marshal
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