provost marshal

[proh-voh]

noun

1. Army.,  an officer on the staff of a commander, charged with the maintaining of order and with other police functions within a command.

2. Navy.,  an officer charged with the safekeeping of a prisoner pending trial by court-martial.

provost marshal

/ prəˈvəʊ /

noun

1. the officer in charge of military police and thus responsible for military discipline in a large camp, area, or city

Word History and Origins

Origin of provost marshal¹

First recorded in 1525–35

Example Sentences

A provost marshal enters the incident into a military database that puts the FBI on notice so it can enter the name into a background list of people prevented from buying weapons.

From Seattle Times

Gen. Duane Miller, who as deputy provost marshal general is the Army’s No. 2 law enforcement official.

From Seattle Times

It launched a provost marshal position to help find any dishonorable soldiers the Guard may not be aware of, the news station reported.

From Washington Times

An Army provost marshal clashes with a detective over a murder at the San Francisco military base.

From Los Angeles Times

He spent much of his Army career as a military police officer and was provost marshal at West Point from 1952 to 1955.

From Washington Post