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View synonyms for march

march

1

[ mahrch ]

verb (used without object)

  1. to walk with regular and measured tread, as soldiers on parade; advance in step in an organized body.
  2. to walk in a stately, deliberate manner:

    The graduates marched to the front of the auditorium to the music of “Pomp and Circumstance.”

  3. to engage in a procession organized as a demonstration of protest or support (sometimes followed by on ):

    During the trade talks, thousands marched in support of farmers and the farming industry.

    Municipal workers marched on city hall to protest cuts in garbage collection.

  4. to move aggressively toward a place in preparation for confrontation or battle (followed by on ):

    The angry mob marched on the Bastille.

  5. to go forward; advance; proceed:

    Time marches on.



verb (used with object)

  1. to cause to march:

    He marched his troops along the Niagara River toward Buffalo.

noun

  1. the act or course of marching.
  2. the distance covered in a single period of marching:

    The edge of the desert is three days' march away.

  3. forward movement; advance; progress:

    The unrestrained march of science and technology may have some alarming social consequences.

  4. a piece of music with a rhythm suited to accompany marching.
  5. a procession organized as a demonstration of protest or support:

    There were antiwar marches in major cities across the nation.

    On July 29 there will be a march for universal healthcare.

March

2

[ mahrch ]

noun

  1. the third month of the year, containing 31 days. : Mar.

march

3

[ mahrch ]

noun

  1. a tract of land along a border of a country; frontier.
  2. marches, the border districts between England and Scotland, or England and Wales.

verb (used without object)

  1. to touch at the border; border.

March

4

[ mahrch mahrkh ]

noun

  1. Francis Andrew, 1825–1911, U.S. philologist and lexicographer.
  2. Fredric Frederick McIntyre Bickel, 1897–1975, U.S. actor.
  3. Pey·ton Con·way [peyt, -n , kon, -wey], 1864–1955, U.S. army officer (son of Francis Andrew March).
  4. German name of the Morava.

March.

5

abbreviation for

  1. Marchioness.

M.Arch.

6

abbreviation for

  1. Master of Architecture.

March.

1

abbreviation for

  1. Marchioness
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

MArch

2

abbreviation for

  1. Master of Architecture
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

March

3

/ març /

noun

  1. the German name for the Morava
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

March

4

/ mɑːtʃ /

noun

  1. the third month of the year, consisting of 31 days
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

march

5

/ mɑːtʃ /

verb

  1. intr to walk or proceed with stately or regular steps, usually in a procession or military formation
  2. tr to make (a person or group) proceed

    he marched his army to the town

  3. tr to traverse or cover by marching

    to march a route

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the act or an instance of marching
  2. a regular stride

    a slow march

  3. a long or exhausting walk
  4. advance; progression (of time, etc)
  5. a distance or route covered by marching
  6. a piece of music, usually in four beats to the bar, having a strongly accented rhythm
  7. steal a march on
    to gain an advantage over, esp by a secret or underhand enterprise
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

march

6

/ mɑːtʃ /

noun

  1. Also calledmarchland a frontier, border, or boundary or the land lying along it, often of disputed ownership
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. intr; often foll by upon or with to share a common border (with)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈmarcher, noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of march1

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English marchen, from Middle French marcher, Old French marchi(e)r “to tread, move,” from Frankish markōn (unattested) presumably, “to mark, pace out (a boundary)”; mark 1

Origin of march2

before 1050; Middle English March ( e ) < Anglo-French Marche; replacing Old English Martius < Latin, short for Mārtius mēnsis month of Mars ( Mārti-, stem of Mārs + -us adj. suffix)

Origin of march3

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English march(e), from Anglo-French, Old French, from Germanic; compare Old English gemearc, Gothic marka “boundary”; mark 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of march1

from Old French, from Latin Martius (month) of Mars

Origin of march2

C16: from Old French marchier to tread, probably of Germanic origin; compare Old English mearcian to mark 1

Origin of march3

C13: from Old French marche, from Germanic; related to mark 1
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. on the march, moving ahead; progressing; advancing:

    Automation is on the march.

  2. steal a march on, to gain an advantage over, especially secretly or slyly.

More idioms and phrases containing march

In addition to the idiom beginning with march , also see steal a march on .
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Example Sentences

It didn’t happen and gradually the protesters marched towards the centre of the capital, halting the traffic and chanting “Georgia, Georgia”.

From BBC

Beginning at 6 p.m., a procession of marching bands, floats, equestrian groups and character balloons will make its way through the heart of Hollywood.

Thousands more regularly march for a change to Britain's support for Israel in the war in Gaza, though these marches first began under the previous government.

From BBC

Then there were the protest marches he joined as a teenager, that would always start here before winding their way through the city.

From BBC

The Stop the Hate supporters gathered on the march's route, on Coventry Street, near Piccadilly Circus.

From BBC

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More About March

What happens in March?

March is the third month of the year. It follows February and is followed by April. It has 31 days.

March is notable because it is one of the two times a year when an equinox occurs. Around March 20–21, the vernal equinox marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the autumnal equinox marks the beginning of fall in the Southern Hemisphere. (The reverse happens around September 22–23.)

In places where spring begins in March, the proverb March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb is used to refer to the fact that the month often begins with harsh winter weather that eventually gives way to mild spring weather.

In the U.S., March also includes the day on which people in many places adjust their clocks for daylight-saving time by setting them an hour later.

March is Women’s History Month and March 8 is International Women’s Day. In the U.S., St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17.

The U.S. college basketball tournament known as March Madness starts in March.

The word march is also a common word meaning “to walk in a military formation” or “to walk in a purposeful way.” It’s not related to the name of the month.

Example: We had a blizzard last week and now people are walking around in shorts—that’s March weather for you.

Where does March come from?

The first records of the word March as the name of a month come from before 1050. It comes from the Latin Mārtius mēnsis, meaning “the month of Mars,” referring to the Roman god of war. The months of January and May are also named after Roman deities.

The ancient Roman calendar originally began with the month we call MarchMarch 1 was the first day of the year. Eventually, two additional months—what we now call January and February—were added so that the months would fall during the same seasons each year.

In ancient Rome, March marked the start of the military campaign season. However, the word march in the sense of walking in a military formation or in some other purposeful way is not actually related to the name of the month. The word march in the walking sense comes from the Old French marchier, “to tread,” possibly from the Frankish markōn, meaning “to mark or pace”—it’s not based on or related to Mars.

In astrology, the sign Pisces applies to those born between February 19 and March 20. The sign Aries applies to those born between March 21 and April 19.

 

Discover more to the story behind the word March, by reading our article on the name’s fascinating history.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to March?

  • Marches (plural)
  • Mar (abbreviation)
  • Mar. (abbreviation)

What are some words that share a root or word element with March

What are some words that often get used in discussing March?

How is March used in real life?

In places where spring begins in March, the month is often associated with its wide range of weather. Sports fans in the U.S. know it as the month that March Madness begins.

 

Try using March!

Which mythological figure is March named after?

A. Mercury
B. Mars
C. Maia
D. Madne

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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