marquee

1 of 2

noun

mar·​quee mär-ˈkē 

1

chiefly British : a large tent set up for an outdoor party, reception, or exhibition

2

a

: a permanent canopy often of metal and glass projecting over an entrance (as of a hotel or theater)

The hotel doorman was stationed under the marquee.

b

: a sign usually over the entrance of a theater or arena that displays the names of featured attractions and principal performers

The brightly lighted marquee displayed the title of the movie currently featured.

marquee

2 of 2

adjective

: having or associated with the name recognition and attraction of one whose name appears on a marquee : big-name, star

marquee athletes

marquee events

Examples of marquee in a Sentence

Noun

She dreamed of seeing her name on the theater marquee.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Grace Hie Yoon / Anadolu via Getty Images Navarro said a marquee 30-second advertising spot in the knockout-stage matches cost as much as $1 million, more than double 2018 levels. — Reuters, NBC news, 22 July 2026

One day, a broadcaster is calling one of baseball’s marquee matchups between the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Adjective

More recently, the Great Lakes region has been the nation's marquee political battleground, with state legislatures and the presidential winner swinging between Democratic and Republican candidates for the last decade. — ABC News, 13 July 2026

Sometimes, life-changing technological advances do not affect marquee economic statistics at all. — Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 29 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

modification of French marquise, literally, marchioness

First Known Use

Noun

1690, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1946, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for marquee

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Kids Definition

marquee

noun

mar·​quee

mär-ˈkē

1

: a large tent set up for an outdoor party or exhibition

2

: a rooflike structure sticking out over an entrance

a theater marquee