provost marshal

American  

[proh-voh] / ˈproʊ voʊ /

noun

1. Army. an officer on the staff of a commander, charged with the maintaining of order and with other police functions within a command.

2. Navy. an officer charged with the safekeeping of a prisoner pending trial by court-martial.

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provost marshal British  

/ prəˈvəʊ /

noun

1. the officer in charge of military police and thus responsible for military discipline in a large camp, area, or city

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Etymology

Origin of provost marshal

First recorded in 1525–35

Example Sentences

A provost marshal enters the incident into a military database that puts the FBI on notice so it can enter the name into a background list of people prevented from buying weapons.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 28, 2023

Gen. Duane Miller, who as deputy provost marshal general is the Army’s No. 2 law enforcement official.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 14, 2021

An Army provost marshal clashes with a detective over a murder at the San Francisco military base.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 10, 2020

Mark S. Inch, the deputy provost marshal general, according to the e-mail obtained by The Post.

From Washington Post • Feb. 17, 2011

The British provost marshal hung Nathan Hale on "an apple tree in the Rutgers orchard," the exact spot adjoining the church property.

From The Kirk on Rutgers Farm by Stone, Pauline