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definitions

Marches

[mahr-chiz]
See more synonyms for Marches on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. The, a region in central Italy, bordering the Adriatic. 3743 sq. mi. (9695 sq. km).
Italian Le Mar·che [le mahr-ke] /lɛ ˈmɑr kɛ/.

march

1
[mahrch]
verb (used without object)
  1. to walk with regular and measured tread, as soldiers on parade; advance in step in an organized body.
  2. to walk in a stately, deliberate manner.
  3. to go forward; advance; proceed: Time marches on.
verb (used with object)
  1. to cause to march.
noun
  1. the act or course of marching.
  2. the distance covered in a single period of marching.
  3. advance; progress; forward movement: the march of science.
  4. a piece of music with a rhythm suited to accompany marching.
Idioms
  1. march on, to march toward, as in protest or in preparation for confrontation or battle: The angry mob marched on the Bastille.
  2. on the march, moving ahead; progressing; advancing: Automation is on the march.
  3. steal a march on, to gain an advantage over, especially secretly or slyly.

Origin of march

1
1375–1425; late Middle English marchen < Middle French march(i)er, Old French marchier to tread, move < Frankish *markōn presumably, to mark, pace out (a boundary); see mark1

march

2
[mahrch]
noun
  1. a tract of land along a border of a country; frontier.
  2. marches, the border districts between England and Scotland, or England and Wales.
verb (used without object)
  1. to touch at the border; border.

Origin of march

2
1250–1300; Middle English marche < Anglo-French, Old French < Germanic; compare Old English gemearc, Gothic marka boundary; see mark1

March

1
[mahrch]
noun
  1. the third month of the year, containing 31 days. Abbreviation: Mar.

Origin of March

1
before 1050; Middle English March(e) < Anglo-French Marche; replacing Old English Martius < Latin, short for Mārtius mēnsis month of Mars (Mārti-, stem of Mārs + -us adj. suffix)

March

2
[mahrch for 1–3; mahrkh for 4]
noun
  1. Francis Andrew,1825–1911, U.S. philologist and lexicographer.
  2. FredricFrederick McIntyre Bickel, 1897–1975, U.S. actor.
  3. Pey·ton Con·way [peyt-n kon-wey] /ˈpeɪt n ˈkɒn weɪ/, 1864–1955, U.S. army officer (son of Francis Andrew March).
  4. German name of the Morava.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for marches

pound, patrol, parade, move, file, traipse, proceed, space, boot, tramp, progress, stomp, strut, promenade, step, journey, tread, advance, mount, pace

Examples from the Web for marches

Contemporary Examples of marches

Historical Examples of marches

  • The inability of the men only, will put a period to our daily marches.

  • Day's marches were shortened because the woman could not stand long ones.

    The Leopard Woman

    Stewart Edward White

  • Massena enters Portugal at Almeida and marches to Lisbon and the open sea.

    The Snare

    Rafael Sabatini

  • Every nation must know that, the instant it marches to war, it risks annihilation.

    The Destroyer

    Burton Egbert Stevenson

  • Victory accompanied his marches, and his foes were driven before him.

British Dictionary definitions for marches

Marches

noun the Marches
  1. the border area between England and Wales or Scotland, both characterized by continual feuding (13th–16th centuries)
  2. a region of central Italy. Capital: Ancona. Pop: 1 484 601 (2003 est). Area: 9692 sq km (3780 sq miles)Italian name: Le Marche (le ˈmarke)
  3. any of various other border regions

March

1
noun
  1. the third month of the year, consisting of 31 days

Word Origin for March

from Old French, from Latin Martius (month) of Mars

March

2
noun
  1. the German name for the Morava (def. 1)

MArch

abbreviation for
  1. Master of Architecture

march

1
verb
  1. (intr) to walk or proceed with stately or regular steps, usually in a procession or military formation
  2. (tr) to make (a person or group) proceedhe marched his army to the town
  3. (tr) to traverse or cover by marchingto march a route
noun
  1. the act or an instance of marching
  2. a regular stridea slow march
  3. a long or exhausting walk
  4. advance; progression (of time, etc)
  5. a distance or route covered by marching
  6. a piece of music, usually in four beats to the bar, having a strongly accented rhythm
  7. steal a march on to gain an advantage over, esp by a secret or underhand enterprise
Derived Formsmarcher, noun

Word Origin for march

C16: from Old French marchier to tread, probably of Germanic origin; compare Old English mearcian to mark 1

march

2
noun
  1. Also called: marchland a frontier, border, or boundary or the land lying along it, often of disputed ownership
verb
  1. (intr; often foll by upon or with) to share a common border (with)

Word Origin for march

C13: from Old French marche, from Germanic; related to mark 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for marches

march

n.1

"act of marching," 1580s, from march (v.) or else from Middle French marche (n.), from marcher (v.). The musical sense first attested 1570s, from notion of "rhythmic drumbeat" for marching. Transferred sense of "forward motion" is from 1620s.

march

v.

"to walk with regular tread," early 15c., from Middle French marcher "to march, walk," from Old French marchier "to stride, march," originally "to trample, tread underfoot," perhaps from Frankish *markon or some other Germanic source related to obsolete Middle English march (n.) "borderland" (see march (n.2)). Or possibly from Gallo-Roman *marcare, from Latin marcus "hammer," via notion of "tramping the feet." Meaning "to cause to march" is from 1590s. Related: Marched; marching. Marching band is attested from 1852. Italian marciare, Spanish marchar are said to be from French.

march

n.2

"boundary," late 13c. (in reference to the borderlands beside Wales, rendering Old English Mercia), from Old French marche "boundary, frontier," from Frankish *marka or some other Germanic source (cf. Old High German marchon "to mark out, delimit," German Mark "boundary;" see mark (n.1)). Now obsolete. There was a verb in Middle English (c.1300), "tohave a common boundary," from Old French marchier "border upon, lie alongside."

March

third month, c.1200, from Anglo-French marche, Old French marz, from Latin Martius (mensis) "(month) of Mars," from Mars (genitive Martis). Replaced Old English hreðmonaþ, the first part of which is of uncertain meaning, perhaps from hræd "quick, nimble, ready, active, alert, prompt." For March hare, proverbial type of madness, see mad.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with marches

march

In addition to the idiom beginning with march

  • marching orders, get one's
  • march to a different beat

also see:

  • steal a march on
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.