marshal

American  

[mahr-shuhl] / ˈmɑr ʃəl /

noun

1. a military officer of the highest rank, as in the French and some other armies.

2. an administrative officer of a U.S. judicial district who performs duties similar to those of a sheriff.

3. a court officer serving processes, attending court, giving personal service to the judges, etc.

4. the chief of a police or fire department in some cities.

5. a police officer in some communities.

6. sky marshal.

7. a higher officer of a royal household or court.

8. an official charged with the arrangement or regulation of ceremonies, parades, etc..

   the marshal of the St. Patrick's Day parade.

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verb (used with object)

marshaled, marshaling, marshalled, marshalling

1. to arrange in proper order; set out in an orderly manner; arrange clearly.

   to marshal facts; to marshal one's arguments.

   Synonyms:

   convoke, dispose, order

   Antonyms:

   scatter

2. to array, as for battle.

3. to usher or lead ceremoniously.

   Their host marshaled them into the room.

4. Heraldry. to combine (two or more coats of arms) on a single escutcheon.

marshal British  

/ ˈmɑːʃəl /

noun

1. (in some armies and air forces) an officer of the highest rank

2. (in England) an officer, usually a junior barrister, who accompanies a judge on circuit and performs miscellaneous secretarial duties

3. 1. a Federal court officer assigned to a judicial district whose functions are similar to those of a sheriff

   2. (in some states) the chief police or fire officer

4. an officer who organizes or conducts ceremonies, parades, etc

5. Also called: knight marshal.  (formerly in England) an officer of the royal family or court, esp one in charge of protocol

6. an obsolete word for ostler

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verb

1. to arrange in order

   to marshal the facts

2. to assemble and organize (troops, vehicles, etc) prior to onward movement

3. to arrange (assets, mortgages, etc) in order of priority

4. to guide or lead, esp in a ceremonious way

5. to combine (two or more coats of arms) on one shield

Related Words

See gather.

Other Word Forms

• marshalcy noun
• marshaler noun
• marshaller noun
• marshalship noun
• remarshal verb (used with object)
• submarshal noun
• undermarshal noun
• unmarshaled adjective
• unmarshalled adjective

Etymology

Origin of marshal

1225–75; Middle English marshal, syncopated variant of mareschal < Old French < Germanic; compare Old High German marahscalh groom, equivalent to marah horse ( mare ¹ ) + scalh servant, cognate with Old English scealc

Example Sentences

Trusty alone made 17 clearances and three interceptions, marshalling the depleted visitors to great effect.

From BBC

That they marshaled to conduct military exercises shows the depth of their fear.

From The Wall Street Journal

As a semiautonomous Danish territory, Greenland is protected by NATO, which would not only marshal the U.S. military to respond to any attack but would also rally the alliance’s other 31 countries.

From Salon

The U.S. military operation required more firepower than a U.S. marshal typically carries.

From MarketWatch

“The fire marshal believes they have the fire under control. I spoke with the state’s attorney and, given Gabriel’s age, they don’t want to press charges just yet.”

From Literature

Related Words

• assemble
• mobilize