field marshal

noun

: the highest ranking military officer (as in the British army)

Examples of field marshal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
In Chester County, Friel Otten has become a field marshal of this movement. Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2024 The Prussian field marshal Helmuth von Moltke famously said that no battle plan survives beyond its first contact with the enemy. Nicholas Mulder, Foreign Affairs, 26 Sep. 2022 To be sure, the field marshal was not directly responsible for all the excesses of Egypt’s latest leadership transition -- including the more than 1,000 who have died, the many thousands who have been injured, and the 1,212 sentenced to death. Steven A. Cook, Foreign Affairs, 8 June 2014 Alex Cooper has sold a letter from George Washington as well as a World War II-era field marshal baton that fetched more than $700,000 in 2010. Tony Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 8 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for field marshal 

Word History

First Known Use

1736, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of field marshal was in 1736

Dictionary Entries Near field marshal

Cite this Entry

“Field marshal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/field%20marshal. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

field marshal

noun
: an officer (as in the British army) of the highest rank

More from Merriam-Webster on field marshal

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!