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

The marshals service declined to comment on the lawsuit. —Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 3 Apr. 2024

During an inspection by fire marshals that found multiple safety violations in 2021, most of the employees presented Chinese identification and U.S. immigration documents. —Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 14 Mar. 2024

In 1880, five ranchers and two deputy U.S. marshals were killed in a battle between settlers and the Southern Pacific Railroad over land rights. —Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024

Air Canada did the same in 2019 including female marshals guiding the plane on the ground and an avionics professional. —Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024

Kelly was arrested by federal marshals in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in October after several months in hiding. —Chris Ramirez, Journal Sentinel, 23 Feb. 2024

Caltrans said tenants were given 30 days to correct problems noted by the fire marshal. —John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 19 Feb. 2024

Ten people were displaced between the two houses, according to the state fire marshal. —Aegis Staff, Baltimore Sun, 13 Feb. 2024

After conducting an investigation, marshals discovered that the vehicle that was involved in the crash belonged to Vitel, a murder victim who was a resident of Kips Bay, officials said. —USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2024

Verb

The legislation follows four years after the U.S. government first marshaled its historic response to the pandemic, adopting aid packages that would total more than $5 trillion in federal aid. —Tony Romm, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024

They were eventually marshaled from the scene by several dozen officers in riot gear. —Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 12 Mar. 2024

Although the United States has marshaled military aid to Ukraine, checking Russian influence in Central Asia and Africa will require different tools, such as support for governance reform and trade. —Max Bergmann, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2024

Thus, last year’s multilateral attempts to marshal a more effective international engagement strategy toward Afghanistan has instead raised the Taliban’s ire. —Asfandyar Mir, Foreign Affairs, 14 Mar. 2024

Youngkin, a multimillionaire former private equity chief, had marshaled his Harvard MBA and all of his business experience, plus that of his team of high-finance advisers, only to run up against a humbling Richmond truth: A governor is not a CEO. —Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024

The 2023 show, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, recounts the previously untold story of legendary United States marshal Bass Reeves (played by David Oyelowo), who brought over 3,000 outlaws to justice during his 30-year career. —Emily Blackwood, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024

Jordan marshalled right-wing outrage from the House floor. —Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2023

In Washington, attention was focused on chaos in Congress; in much of Europe, the top priority was marshaling continued support for Ukraine. —TIME, 29 Feb. 2024

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

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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