SINCE 1828
marshal
noun
mar·shal
| \ ˈmär-shəl
\
\
variants:
or less commonly marshall
Definition of marshal
(Entry 1 of 2)
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 forces
b
: a person who arranges and directs the ceremonial aspects of a gathering
a parade marshal
2a
: field marshal
b
: a general officer of the highest military rank
3a
: 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
marshal
verb
variants:
or less commonly marshall
marshaled
or marshalled;
marshaling
or marshalling\ ˈmärsh-(ə-)liŋ \
Definition of marshal (Entry 2 of 2)
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
: to take form or order
ideas marshaling neatly
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Other Words from marshal
Noun
marshalcy
\ -sē
\
noun
\
noun
marshalship
\ -ˌship
\
noun
\
noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for marshal
Synonyms: Verb
Antonyms: Verb
demob [chiefly British], demobilize
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Examples of marshal in a Sentence
Verb
She carefully marshaled her thoughts before answering the question. marshaled their forces for battleRecent Examples on the Web: Noun
Federal marshals reprimanded spectators outside court for waving at him or even flashing a thumbs-up. — Sam Walker, WSJ, "Help! My Boss Is El Chapo," 12 Jan. 2019 The Texas Association of School Boards is aware of only one Texas school district that has adopted the marshal program, but the association declined to identify that district. — Jaimy Jones, Houston Chronicle, "Clear Creek ISD committee considers slew of campus safety measures," 15 June 2018 Another $67 million would go toward creating the marshal’s program. — Dan Sweeney, Sun-Sentinel.com, "House and Senate committees send Stoneman Douglas shooting bills to full chambers," 28 Feb. 2018 The courthouse imposed airport-like security, and federal marshals patrolled the halls in bulletproof vests. — Katie Honan, WSJ, "U.S. Jury Convicts Mexican Drug Lord ‘El Chapo’ After Three-Month Trial," 12 Feb. 2019 Tonight, under 1970s-chic red and purple neon, Family Karaoke is filled with enough attendees to worry a fire marshal. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Want to Be A Hacker? Go to Dallas.," 4 Dec. 2018 Immigration officers have arrested a Guatemalan national who mowed down and killed an FBI agent and a fire marshal on a Maryland highway last year. — Fox News, "ICE arrests man in Maryland crash that killed FBI agent, fire marshal," 2 Oct. 2018 Those volunteers will work in one of six areas, and many serve as course marshals. — Steve Reaven, chicagotribune.com, "Exmoor set for its pro debut with Constellation Senior Players Championship," 9 July 2018 This covered stuff like what the different marshals flags mean, fundamental concepts like a tire's circle of friction and weight transfer, as well as the racing line around the South Course. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "How a day driving high-downforce cars at VIR taught me I’m OK being slow," 11 Sep. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The Chinese government is marshaling a national strategy to make companies like ZTE less dependent on foreign suppliers. — Henry Farrell, Washington Post, "Trump doesn’t like China’s economic nationalism. So why is his administration stirring it up?," 24 Apr. 2018 The company effectively has been locked out of the U.S. market for years, but Washington has marshaled its allies, including the U.K., Australia and Japan, to look for potential risks associated with Huawei equipment in its supply chain. — Samuel Rubenfeld, WSJ, "U.S. to Huawei: Don’t Lie to Your Bank," 28 Jan. 2019 Andrew said his job involves marshaling the resources of the Archdiocese and working with others to reduce violence. — Steve Sadin, chicagotribune.com, "'This is a public health issue': North Shore towns mark Gun Violence Awareness Day," 11 June 2018 The back four has been well-marshalled by veteran central defender Jalal Hosseini, but younger players including Rouzbeh Cheshmi are now getting a look in. — John Duerden, chicagotribune.com, "World Cup Countdown: Iran face tough draw after unbeaten qualifiers," 20 May 2018 And there is little doubt China is marshaling massive finance in support. — Nathaniel Taplin, WSJ, "The China 2025 Bugaboo," 13 Dec. 2018 Industry was also marshaling forces to overturn the ban. — Jie Jenny Zou Of The Center For Public Integrity, The Seattle Times, "How DC unleashed fossil-fuel exports despite climate worries," 16 Oct. 2018 That is more money than has ever been marshaled for an initiative campaign, ever, in Washington history. — David Roberts, Vox, "Big Oil is using brute financial force to kill 2 state sustainability initiatives," 4 Nov. 2018 The petition marshals some grave statistics to prove its point. — Isaac Stanley-becker, The Seattle Times, "The Saturday Halloween Movement: A petition beseeches Trump to reschedule the spooky celebration," 26 Oct. 2018These 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.
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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
Laying Down the Law on 'Martial' and...
Laying Down the Law on 'Martial' and 'Marshal'
Not to mention 'marshall'
Dictionary Entries near marshal
Statistics for marshal
Last Updated
11 Mar 2019
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for marshal
The first known use of marshal was in the 13th century
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More Definitions for marshal
marshal
noun
English Language Learners Definition of marshal
(Entry 1 of 2)
: an officer of the highest rank in some military forces
US
: a federal official who is responsible for doing the things that are ordered by a court of law, finding and capturing criminals, etc.
US
: the head of a division of a police or fire department
marshal
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of marshal (Entry 2 of 2)
: 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
See the full definition for marshal in the English Language Learners Dictionary
marshal
noun
mar·shal
| \ ˈmär-shəl
\
\
Kids Definition of marshal
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
marshaled
or marshalled;
marshaling
or marshalling
Kids Definition of marshal (Entry 2 of 2)
: to arrange in order
marshal troops
marshal
noun
mar·shal
| \ ˈmär-shəl\
Legal Definition of marshal
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
marshaled
also marshalled;
marshaling
also marshalling
Legal Definition of marshal (Entry 2 of 2)
: 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
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