marshal 1 of 2

verb

variants also marshall
Definition of marshalnext
1
as in to organize
to assemble and make ready for action marshaled their forces for battle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to steer
to point out the way for (someone) especially from a position in front marshaling a small group of children on a tour of the science museum

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to arrange
to put into a particular arrangement marshal your arguments before you stand up to speak

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

marshal

2 of 2

noun

variants also marshall
as in sheriff

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb marshal contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of marshal are arrange, methodize, order, organize, and systematize. While all these words mean "to put persons or things into their proper places in relation to each other," marshal suggests gathering and arranging in preparation for a particular operation or effective use.

marshaling the facts for argument

When is it sensible to use arrange instead of marshal?

The synonyms arrange and marshal are sometimes interchangeable, but arrange implies a setting in sequence, relationship, or adjustment.

arranged the files numerically

When would methodize be a good substitute for marshal?

Although the words methodize and marshal have much in common, methodize suggests imposing an orderly procedure rather than a fixed scheme.

methodizes every aspect of daily living

When is order a more appropriate choice than marshal?

In some situations, the words order and marshal are roughly equivalent. However, order suggests a straightening out so as to eliminate confusion.

ordered her business affairs

When can organize be used instead of marshal?

While in some cases nearly identical to marshal, organize implies arranging so that the whole aggregate works as a unit with each element having a proper function.

organized the volunteers into teams

When could systematize be used to replace marshal?

The meanings of systematize and marshal largely overlap; however, systematize implies arranging according to a predetermined scheme.

systematized billing procedures

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of marshal
Verb
The final tinkering on a major legislative package comes as Lawson-Remer has marshaled a coalition of community groups, labor unions and nonprofits to support her effort to have voters rewrite the county’s charter. —Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026 The 49th Elgin Valley Fox Trot is set for Sunday, May 31, with the museum being one of 10 nonprofits that will benefit from proceeds in exchange for volunteering to oversee and marshal the event. —Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Noun
The person who would normally hire a new fire marshal would be the city manager. —Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026 The state fire marshal issued a temporary certificate of occupancy the night before the meeting, giving the county two months to address a small number of fire safety issues, according the BSCC. —Jason Henry, Daily News, 17 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for marshal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for marshal
  1. organize
  2. steer
  3. arrange
  4. sheriff
  5. mobilize
  6. guide
  7. classify
  8. inspector
Verb
  • Her team quickly put together a plan to help coördinate repairs, secure new electrical generators, implement a triage system, and organize trainings for staff.
    — Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 15 May 2026
  • Certain lower-risk administrative technologies are expressly excluded, including spreadsheets requiring human analysis, workflow management and routing tools, and systems that simply organize or summarize information without generating predictions or inferences.
    — Alonzo Martinez, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Definition of organize
Verb
  • In the 90th minute, Adrian Marin delivered a driving cross into the box, and Martín Ojeda got just enough of his head on the ball to steer it home, sealing the dramatic victory.
    — Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 May 2026
  • Instead, the cabinet secretary taking the lead on steering the world’s most consequential bilateral ties has been Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who met his Chinese counterpart in Seoul ahead of the summit in Beijing.
    — Steven Jiang, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
Definition of steer
Verb
  • Soon, survey crews showed up, bulldozers were spotted along dusty roads, and the Army Corps of Engineers arranged private meetings.
    — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 14 May 2026
  • The spa There’s no spa, but morning yoga and pilates classes are hosted on the rooftop and the hotel can help arrange in-room massage treatments.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 May 2026
Definition of arrange
Noun
  • The Arizona sheriff leading local investigative efforts in the apparent abduction of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie has shared an update on how much communication is happening between law enforcement and Savannah Guthrie's family.
    — KiMi Robinson, USA Today, 18 May 2026
  • From there, the dive team from the sheriff’s office and the underwater search unit began a coordinated search of the body of water.
    — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
Definition of sheriff
Verb
  • McCaskill said the event was the first in a series of efforts to mobilize and educate voters across the state, and some attendees said this was their first political event.
    — Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
  • But working to mobilize that part of the electorate could be a worthwhile strategy, said Kim Nalder, director of the Project for an Informed Electorate at California State University, Sacramento.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 May 2026
Definition of mobilize
Verb
  • Rodgers, 42, guided the Steelers to an AFC North title last year, throwing for 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
    — Will Graves, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2026
  • Its document generation tools guide founders through complex legal processes step by step, reducing errors and ensuring completeness.
    — AllBusiness, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
Definition of guide
Verb
  • Another pair of wins from KPop Demon Hunters, which are attached to the evil boy band Saja Boys, cracked the top 10 as well, and several members – the group is made up of Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo and Samuil Lee – are usually classified as K-pop artists.
    — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
  • Final thoughts For context, my backyard sky falls somewhere between 7 and 8 on the Bortle scale, a nine-level system used by astronomers to classify the brightness of the night sky and the impact of light pollution.
    — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 15 May 2026
Definition of classify
Noun
  • An inspector can check grading, gutters, downspout drainage, crawl space conditions and signs of past water intrusion.
    — Ryan Brennan May 15, Charlotte Observer, 15 May 2026
  • Farhana Islam, a quality inspector at Tusuka Trousers in Bangladesh and the event’s sole garment worker, couldn’t attend because of visa issues.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Definition of inspector

Browse Nearby Words

marsh
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marshaled
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Cite this Entry

“Marshal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/marshal. Accessed 20 May. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on marshal

Nglish: Translation of marshal for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about marshal

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