tentpole

noun

tent·​pole ˈtent-ˌpōl How to pronounce tentpole (audio)
: a big-budget movie whose earnings are expected to compensate the studio for its less profitable movies

Examples of tentpole in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Others include Sony’s next installment of Jumanji, Netflix’s Fifth Wheel, Blumhouse’s Sunday and an untitled NBCUniversal tentpole directed by Daniels (Everything Everywhere All at Once). Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025 The move places Baumbach’s introspective yet humorous feature in a competitive awards-season field that includes both prestige comedies and musical tentpoles. Clayton Davis, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025 Definite recommend was an OK 57% on Screen Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak; a score in the mid-60s- to 70-percentile range indicates a hopeful tentpole has electricity. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025 For a third consecutive weekend and the final time this season, the NFL extends its tentpoles into British soil, with the Los Angeles Rams dueling the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium. Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tentpole

Word History

First Known Use

1987, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tentpole was in 1987

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Cite this Entry

“Tentpole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tentpole. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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