marquee

noun mar·quee \ mär-ˈkē \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of marquee

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.

See marquee defined for English-language learners

See marquee defined for kids

Examples of marquee in a Sentence

She dreamed of seeing her name on the theater marquee.

Recent Examples of marquee from the Web

Given its importance not just to the Senate math, but presidential politics, Florida is sure to be one of the marquee races of 2018.

— terence burlij, CNN, "Senate Key Race alerts: Florida now a Toss-Up while Tennessee is Lean Republican," 9 Apr. 2018
Though San Antonio officially kicked off its Tricentennial celebration on New Year’s Eve at Hemisfair, the Commemorative Week is is the marquee celebration for 2018.

— josh baugh, San Antonio Express-News, "San Antonio, Bexar officials lay out plans for Tricentennial Commemorative Week," 6 Apr. 2018
Shares of biotech Incyte tumbled following a clinical trial setback for one of the company’s marquee experimental cancer drugs.

— sy mukherjee, Fortune, "Brainstorm Health: Facebook Hospital Data, Incyte Stock, Yescarta Price," 6 Apr. 2018
Global advisers such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley are based there, as are boutiques opened by marquee dealmakers.

— sonali basak, Bloomberg.com, "Top UBS Banker Has ‘Very Aggressive Plan for U.S.’," 5 Apr. 2018
The marquee casting of Harding, Rippon and Anderson should help ABC draw an audience.

— hal boedeker, OrlandoSentinel.com, "'Dancing With the Stars' adds Tonya Harding, Adam Rippon, report says," 4 Apr. 2018
Stock prices opened the second quarter with another sharp decline Monday as investors grew increasingly worried about the rising U.S. trade dispute with China and a flurry of problems hammering the nation's marquee technology firms.

— james f. peltz, latimes.com, "Dow drops more than 400 points after being down 700 as trade-war fears intensify," 2 Apr. 2018
Over the next decade, Northland invested tens of millions of dollars buying marquee office towers, quickly becoming downtown’s largest landlord.

— kenneth r. gosselin, courant.com, "Hartford Pressures Downtown Landlord To Renovate Blighted Building Near Bushnell Park," 28 Mar. 2018
Following Butler on the marquee is Curtis Sumpter, a key player on the great Villanova teams of the mid-2000s that also featured Randy Foye, Allan Ray and Jason Fraser.

— jonathan tannenwald, Philly.com, "Rasual Butler, Curtis Sumpter, Candice Dupree headline 2018 Big Five Hall of Fame class," 19 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'marquee.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of marquee

modification of French marquise, literally, marchioness

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1690

See Words from the same year

Other Performing Arts Terms

diva, dramaturgy, loge, prestidigitation, proscenium, supernumerary, zany

marquee

adjective

Definition of marquee

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

marquee athletes

marquee events

See marquee defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of marquee from the Web

And marquee Republican challengers are stepping up to run for the Senate, even as House GOP retirements pile up.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Trump gets schooled in Syria on how much his words matter," 9 Apr. 2018
This marked one of the lighter moments in the fight for House District 99, which has become a costly, marquee battle, pitting two men whose families have been longtime friends.

— anna m. tinsley, star-telegram, "Ruh Roh. This Texas election went to the dogs | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 1 Mar. 2018
The Open era in tennis — the period when professionals were rightfully permitted to play the marquee events — will have its 50th birthday next year.

— christopher clarey, New York Times, "At U.S. Open, Women Surprise and New Rules Get a Trial Run," 11 Sep. 2017
The impact on you at home: In its recent earnings report, Nintendo said that sales were equal for both the Nintendo Switch and its marquee launch title, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

— ian paul, PCWorld, "Nintendo's beloved Legend of Zelda may be coming to phones," 15 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of marquee

see ¹marquee

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1946

See Words from the same year

MARQUEE Defined for English Language Learners

marquee

noun

Definition of marquee for English Language Learners

: a covered structure over the entrance to a building (such as a hotel or theater)
: a sign over the entrance to a theater that shows the name of the show, movie, play, etc., and the names of the main performers
: a large tent that is set up for an outdoor event (such as a party)