march

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈmärch 

: a border region : frontier

especially : a district originally set up to defend a boundary

—usually used in plural

the Welsh marches

march

2 of 5

verb (1)

marched; marching; marches

intransitive verb

: to have common borders or frontiers

a region that marches with Canada in the north and the Pacific in the west

march

3 of 5

verb (2)

ˈmärch 

 imperatively often  in the military ˈhärch

marched; marching; marches

intransitive verb

1

: to move along steadily usually with a rhythmic stride and in step with others

2

a

: to move in a direct purposeful manner : proceed

b

: to make steady progress : advance

time marches on

3

: to stand in orderly array suggestive of marching

transitive verb

1

: to cause to march

marched the children off to bed

2

: to cover by marching : traverse

marched 10 miles

march

4 of 5

noun (2)

ˈmärch 

1

: a musical composition that is usually in duple or quadruple time with a strongly accentuated beat and that is designed or suitable to accompany marching

2

a(1)

: the action of marching

(2)

: the distance covered within a specific period of time by marching

(3)

: a regular measured stride or rhythmic step used in marching

b

: forward movement : progress

the march of a movie toward the climax

3

: an organized procession of demonstrators who are supporting or protesting something

marchlike

ˈmärch-ˌlīk 

adjective

March

5 of 5

noun (3)

ˈmärch 

: the third month of the Gregorian calendar

Phrases

on the march

: moving steadily : advancing

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• border
• frontier

Verb (1)

• join
• touch
• neighbor
• flank
• adjoin

Verb (2)

• stride
• parade
• file

Noun (2)

• procession
• progress
• advance
• process
• progression
• advancement

Examples of march in a Sentence

Noun (1)

when it was first built, this castle protected what was then the country's northern march

Verb (1)

on the west, Maine marches entirely with the state of New Hampshire

Verb (2)

the band had to practice for hours to be able to march in perfect step

bleary-eyed commuters marching off to the train station for the morning commute

Noun (2)

the march of time

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

An ‘Anti-Trump Birthday Party Rally’ was organized after the march to Mar-a-Lago, WPTV reported. —Kate Linderman, Miami Herald, 15 June 2025

And South Florida can’t get enough of it: As the Fightin’ Maurices continue their march toward a second consecutive NHL Stanley Cup championship, fans will gather in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday for one of the largest official watch parties in Panthers’ history — at the War Memorial Auditorium. —Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 22 May 2025

Verb

Parade participants march in the LA Pride Parade on Hollywood Blvd. —Neha Chandrachud, Wired News, 27 June 2025

Skokie’s downtown parade steps off at noon at Oakton College on Lincoln Avenue on July 4, marches northwest to Niles Center Road, north to Oakton and east to Oakton Park. —Pioneer Press, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English marche, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German marha boundary — more at mark

Verb (2)

Middle English, from Middle French marchier to trample, march, from Old French, to trample, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German marcōn to mark

Noun (3)

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin martius, from martius of Mars, from Mart-, Mars

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

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

Noun (2)

circa 1572, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing march

• dead march
• frog-march
• grand march
• march on
• march-past
• march to the beat of a different drummer
• on the march
• steal a march on
• wedding march

Rhymes for march

• arch
• starch
• cornstarch

Kids Definition

march

1 of 4 noun

ˈmärch 

1

: a border region : frontier

2

: a district originally set up to defend a boundary

—usually used in plural

the Welsh marches

march

2 of 4 verb

1

: to move along with a steady regular stride especially in step with others

2

: to move in a direct purposeful manner : progress

marcher noun

march

3 of 4 noun

1

a

: the action of marching

b

: the distance covered within a period of time by marching

c

: a regular even step used in marching

2

: forward movement : progress

the march of time

3

: a musical piece with a strong regular rhythm that is suitable to march to

March

4 of 4 noun

ˈmärch 

: the third month of the year

Etymology

Noun

Middle English March "the third month," from early French march (same meaning), derived from Latin martius "of (the god) Mars"

Word Origin

One of the gods worshipped by the ancient Romans was a war god named Mars. In his honor they named one of the months of the year martius, which means "of Mars" or "belonging to Mars." The Latin martius later became march in early French, and it was from early French that the word came into English.

Medical Definition

march

noun

ˈmärch 

: the progression of epileptic activity through the motor centers of the cerebral cortex that is manifested in localized convulsions in first one and then an adjacent part of the body

the Jacksonian march of convulsions