march

march¹ [ma:tʃ US ma:rtʃ] v

[Date: 1300-1400; : Old French; Origin: marchier 'to step heavily']

1.)

if soldiers or other people march somewhere, they walk there quickly with firm regular steps

march across/along/past etc

▪ On 29 August the royal army marched into Inverness.

march on

▪ He gathered his troops and prepared to march on the capital (=march to the capital in order to attack it) .

Quick march!

(=an order to tell people to start marching)

▪ We marched 50 km across the foothills.

2.) [I always + adverb/preposition]

if a large group of people march somewhere, they walk there together to express their ideas or protest about something

▪ An estimated 5,000 people marched through the city to demonstrate against the factory closures.

march on

▪ Outraged citizens marched on City Hall (=marched to City Hall) , demanding the police chief's resignation.

3.) [I always + adverb/preposition]

to walk somewhere quickly and with determination, often because you are angry

march off/out etc

▪ Brett marched out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

4.) [T always + adverb/preposition]

to force someone to walk somewhere with you, often pushing or pulling them roughly

march sb to/into etc sth

▪ Mr Carter marched us to the principal's office.

5.) be given/get your marching orders

[i]BrE informal to be ordered to leave, especially because someone no longer wants you to work for them or no longer wants a relationship with you

6.) time marches on

used to say that as time goes by, situations change and things do not remain the same

march ²

march² n

1.) an organized event in which many people walk together to express their ideas or protest about something

▪ In the end the police decided not to ban the march.

protest/civil rights/peace etc march

▪ I went on a lot of peace marches when I was a student.

2.) when soldiers walk with firm regular steps from one place to another

▪ From Calais the general led his forces on a long march southwards.

3.) on the march

a) an army that is on the march is marching somewhere

b) a belief, idea etc that is on the march is becoming stronger and more popular

▪ Fascism is on the march again in some parts of Europe.

4.) a day's march/two weeks' march etc

the distance a group of soldiers can march in a particular period of time

▪ Lake Van was still three days' march away.

5.) the march of time/history/progress etc

formal the way that things happen or change over time and cannot be stopped

▪ You can't control the march of science.

▪ She was desperate to halt the march of time upon her face and figure.

6.) a piece of music for people to march to

▪ military marches

▪ a funeral march

7.) marches [plural]

the area around the border between England and Wales or between England and Scotland

→steal a march on at ↑steal¹ (8)