marshal
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to gather and organize your thoughts, facts, or arguments in a clear way.
v.to arrange facts, arguments, or ideas in a methodical and persuasive order.
Simple“She took a moment to marshal her thoughts before answering the difficult question.”
In context“The lead prosecutor spent weeks attempting to marshal the evidence into a coherent narrative that the jury could easily follow.”
UsageOften used with abstract nouns like 'thoughts', 'arguments', or 'evidence'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to bring a group of people together and put them in order for an event.
v.to arrange a group of people, such as soldiers or protesters, into a specific order for a parade or inspection.
Simple“The teachers tried to marshal the excited students into a straight line.”
In context“The sergeant worked quickly to marshal the troops for the morning inspection before the general arrived.”
UsageTransitive; usually takes a collective noun or a plural noun as an object.
- 03 C1 Advanced
v.to change data into a format that can be sent easily between different parts of a computer system.
v.To serialize an object into a sequence of bytes for transmission or storage, allowing it to be reconstructed later.
Simple“The program needs to marshal the data before sending it over the network.”
In context“The middleware layer is responsible for marshalling the complex data structures into a format compatible with the remote server's API.”
UsageCommonly used in the context of distributed systems and remote procedure calls.
SynonymsserializeAntonymsunmarshaldeserialize - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a type of police officer or law official, especially in the United States.
n.A federal or municipal law enforcement officer in the United States with various administrative or police duties.
Simple“The federal marshal was responsible for transporting the prisoner to the courthouse.”
In context“The deputy marshal served the warrant early in the morning to ensure the suspect was at home.”
UsageOften capitalized when used as a specific title (e.g., 'Marshal Smith').
Synonymsofficerlawman - 05 B1 Intermediate
n.a person who helps organize a large public event, like a parade or a race.
n.An official responsible for the management, safety, and ceremonial arrangement of a public gathering or sporting event.
Simple“The race marshals stood at every corner to make sure the runners went the right way.”
In context“Volunteer marshals were deployed along the entire parade route to manage the crowds and ensure the safety of the participants.”
- 06 C1 Advanced
n.a very high-ranking officer in the army.
n.A military officer of the highest rank, often equivalent to a five-star general.
Simple“He was promoted to the rank of field marshal after his victory in the war.”
In context“The grand strategy was devised by the marshal, who oversaw all military operations across the eastern front.”
UsageOften appears in the compound 'field marshal'.
From marshal.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.