marshal

play

noun mar·shal \ ˈmär-shəl \

variants: or less commonly marshall

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

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marshalcy

play \-sē\ noun

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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

On Aug. 21, 1992, a team of U.S. marshals scouting the thick forest to find suitable places to arrest Weaver came across his friend Kevin Harris and Weaver’s 14-year-old son, Samuel, in the woods.

— Washington Post, "25 years later, Ruby Ridge standoff inspires militia groups," 30 Aug. 2017
In Chicago, a campaign is underway to remove a monument to Italo Balbo, an Italian air marshal, which the Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini presented to the city in 1933.

— trip gabriel, New York Times, "Far From Dixie, Outcry Grows Over a Wider Array of Monuments," 25 Aug. 2017
Deputy U.S. marshals arrested Itai Enriquez-Rodriguez, 21, on Monday outside his girlfriend's home near San Jose, authorities said.

— city news service, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Fugitive convicted of drug charges arrested in Northern California," 22 Aug. 2017
The ensuing 11-day standoff ended only after a federal marshal and Weaver’s wife and son were killed.

— mike carter, The Seattle Times, "Resurgent hate groups have long history in Washington state, Northwest," 19 Aug. 2017
The year of Chance the Rapper continues at Saturday's Bud Billiken Parade, where the entertainer will serve as its grand marshal.

— kori rumore, chicagotribune.com, "Bud Billiken Parade 2017: If you go," 10 Aug. 2017
U.S. Marshals arrested a man in Alabama who was wanted for murder in Florida on Monday.

— jonece starr dunigan, AL.com, "Man wanted for fatal stabbing in Florida arrested in Tuscumbia," 1 Aug. 2017
The motion asked Hale to issue an order creating a buffer zone of about 15 by 7 1/2 feet in front of the clinic and asked that U.S. marshals and law enforcement officials be authorized to arrest anyone who violates the order.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "As buffer zone debated, courthouse the first site of weeklong abortion protests," 24 July 2017
If the office is in a courthouse, U.S. marshals probably provide security.

— amy b wang, Washington Post, "Break-in, ‘threatening note’ at office of GOP senator considered swing vote in health-care bill," 17 July 2017

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

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

Seeking to marshal both money and the volunteer power of a movement, labor groups will rally in Milwaukee on Labor Day to call for raising the state minimum wage to $15 an hour and for defeating GOP Gov. Scott Walker next year.

— jason stein, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Labor groups to rally in Milwaukee for $15 an hour, against Scott Walker," 28 Aug. 2017
There’s simply no way for those levels of government to marshal the resources fast enough to do all that needs to get done.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "Why Ordinary Citizens Are Acting as First Responders in Houston," 28 Aug. 2017
A new six-acre truck marshaling yard would relieve congestion along port roads, officials said.

— karen caffarini, Post-Tribune, "Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor in line for federal construction grant," 11 Aug. 2017
In a town as deeply divided and diverse as New Orleans, the dome manages to marshal a wide cross-section of folks from throughout the community and the whole Gulf Coast, because everyone—everyone—just loves the damn Saints.

— rafi kohan, GQ, "The Ghosts of the New Orleans Superdome," 9 Aug. 2017
The president has ramped up his media-bashing via Tweet, long a successful tactic for Trump, and staged rallies hoping to marshal his base to his defense.

— Time, "President Trump Ramps Up Appeal to His Base as Approval Rating Plummets," 7 Aug. 2017
By marshaling the support of fellow clansmen and other donors, the project drew support from as far away as the United States and Britain, providing crucial food and water to nearly 1,000 families.

— scott peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, "In drought-stricken Somaliland, age-old challenges meet WhatsApp," 27 July 2017
Now, researchers have found that the normal form of the protein—α-synuclein (αS)—may actually defend the intestines against invaders by marshaling key immune cells.

— meredith wadman, Science | AAAS, "The rogue protein behind Parkinson’s disease may also protect your gut," 27 June 2017
Lessons from World War II and Nokia Finland has a history of marshaling its spatial and economic resources and thinking out of the box.

— peter ford, The Christian Science Monitor, "An offer Finns can't refuse? Helsinki woos car owners to give up their autos.," 23 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of marshal

see ¹marshal

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

marshal Synonyms

Synonyms

mobilize (also marshall), muster, rally

Antonyms

demob [chiefly British], demobilize

Related Words

arrange, group, line up, order, organize; call (up), convene, summon; activate; collect, round up

Near Antonyms

disarrange, disorder, disorganize, disrupt, disturb; deactivate, dismiss; break up, disband, dissolve, split (up)

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

play

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

play

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