marshal

1 of 2

noun

mar·​shal ˈmär-shəl 

variants or less commonly marshall

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 sense 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

ˈmär-shəl-sē 

noun

marshalship

ˈmär-shəl-ˌship 

noun

marshal

2 of 2

verb

variants or less commonly marshall

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

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms

Verb

• mobilize
• muster
• rally

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of marshal in a Sentence

Verb

She carefully marshaled her thoughts before answering the question.

marshaled their forces for battle

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Brandon Hightower, 38, of Bloomfield, was found guilty in New Britain Superior Court on April 11, to assaulting a state judicial marshal during a courtroom incident last year, according to officials. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 2025

One of the marshals’ responsibilities was providing protective service detail for U.S. District Judges Aileen Cannon and Tanya Chutkan, who ruled in criminal cases against Trump. —Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2025

Verb

Each side involved must marshal the supplies, troops and firepower needed to sustain the fight, thwart advancing armies and, hopefully, prevail. —Benjamin Jensen, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2025

The Iraqis soon grew aware of the SEALs’ presence in a commandeered apartment building, then started marshaling a deadly assault. —Fred Schruers, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

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

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing marshal

• air chief marshal
• air marshal
• air vice-marshal
• earl marshal
• field marshal
• grand marshal
• marshal of the Royal Air Force
• provost marshal
• sky marshal

Rhymes for marshal

• parshall
• partial
• impartial

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

marshal

1 of 2 noun

mar·​shal ˈmär-shəl 

1

a

: a high official in a royal household in the Middle Ages

b

: a person who arranges and directs ceremonies or parades

2

: an officer of the highest rank in some military forces

3

a

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

b

: the head of a division of a city government

fire marshal

marshal

2 of 2 verb

marshaled or marshalled; marshaling or marshalling

ˈmärsh-(ə-)liŋ

1

: to arrange in order

marshal troops

2

: to lead with ceremony : usher

marshaling the group of children down the street

Etymology

Noun

Middle English marshal "a high officer in the king's household," from early French mareschal (same meaning), literally "horse servant"; of Germanic origin

Word Origin

Although most French words come from Latin, some are the result of the Germanic occupation of France in the third century a.d. In early French the word mareschal, literally meaning "horse servant," was such a word. By the Middle English period, a mareschal in French was a high royal official. English borrowed the word to name a similar position in England. Much later, marshal was used in England as the title of a high-ranking military officer. It is because of this use that many people think the word is related to the word martial, meaning "relating to military affairs." But martial derives from the Latin name Mars, the god of war. It is only an accident that these two words came to be linked many centuries after they had entered English from different languages.

Legal Definition

marshal

1 of 2 noun

mar·​shal

ˈmär-shəl

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

2 of 2 transitive verb

variants also marshall

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