Meaning & use
marshalling
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“marshalling” is a form of “marshal”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
noununcountable
The act of organizing people, vehicles, or resources in an orderly way, especially in an airport or at a large event.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun; it usually appears after words like 'the', 'careful', or 'airport'.
Patterns
- the marshalling of something
- airport marshalling
- careful marshalling
The marshalling of passengers onto the plane was quick and calm.
Good marshalling at the festival kept the crowds moving safely.
He works in airport marshalling, guiding aircraft on the tarmac.
noununcountablecomputingtechnical
In computing, the process of converting data or arguments into a form that can be stored or sent between different programs.
Grammar: Technical and uncountable; often used in phrases like 'data marshalling' or 'marshalling code'.
Patterns
- data marshalling
- marshalling code
- marshalling between something
Data marshalling allows the two systems to exchange information correctly.
The error came from faulty marshalling of the function arguments.
She wrote a short guide to marshalling in distributed programs.
Word forms
| base form | marshal |
|---|---|
| third person singular | marshals |
| past tense | marshaled (US), marshalled (UK) |
| past participle | marshaled (US), marshalled (UK) |
| -ing form | marshaling (US), marshalling (UK) |
Common combinations
- airport marshalling
- Airport marshalling requires clear signals and constant attention.
- data marshalling
- Data marshalling is a key step in making web services work.
- careful marshalling
- Careful marshalling of the evidence helped the lawyer build her case.
- marshalling area
- Trucks waited in the marshalling area before loading.
Synonyms and how they differ
- organizing
- More general and everyday; 'marshalling' suggests guiding people or things in a controlled, orderly way.
- directing
- Focuses on telling people where to go; 'marshalling' often includes arranging resources or data as well.
- coordinating
- Emphasizes making different parts work together; 'marshalling' stresses bringing them into order first.
Word family
Commonly confused: marshalling or martial?
marshalling vs martial
Sounds similar but means 'relating to war or soldiers', as in 'martial law'. 'Marshalling' is about organizing.
Practice
Choose the correct word: The software uses ______ to convert the data before sending it.
Choose one answer.
'Marshalling' is the computing process of converting data. 'Martial' means related to war, 'marshmallow' is a sweet, and 'marvellous' means wonderful, so none of them fit the technical context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “marshalling”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.