marquee

play

noun mar·quee \mär-ˈkē\

Definition of marquee

1 chiefly British : a large tent set up for an outdoor party, reception, or exhibition
2a : 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.

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Examples of marquee in a Sentence

She dreamed of seeing her name on the theater marquee.

Recent Examples of marquee from the Web

But don’t expect to see a large Hilton marquee suddenly adorn the facade of the 129-year-old, red-roofed Victorian building.

— lori weisberg, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Hotel del Coronado is going to become a Hilton", 5 July 2017
Louisville-Purdue figures to be the marquee matchup in Tuesday's slate of games.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville basketball | Cards vs. Purdue gets schedule date", 26 June 2017
A female director helming a superhero film, and a marquee one at that!

— lilian min, Cosmopolitan, "Wonder Woman Just Shattered Yet Another Box Office Record", 26 June 2017
Owner Jerry Jones is hopeful that the league chooses DFW to host the marquee event.

— drew davison, star-telegram, "NFL’s ‘important dates’ include Cowboys’ link to 2018 Draft", 20 June 2017
Just as key for marketing and promotion on the movie marquee was advertising the luxury of air conditioning, adjacent to the lettering which spelled of the names of the favorite movie stars appearing in the featured films.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "Pantry dishes have special movie theater connection", 16 June 2017
Violence, like conspiracy theories, does have enduring marquee value.

— The Hive, "Alex Jones’s Pre-emptive Strike Against Megyn Kelly", 16 June 2017
A marquee event that weekend was the Citizens United Film Festival.

— the washington post, AL.com, "Meet the 'shadow' network of charities, political warriors behind Trump's rise", 4 June 2017
For now, the party’s marquee agenda items remain undone, their fate uncertain.

— erica werner, The Seattle Times, "GOP legislative agenda incomplete, lags as Congress returns", 3 June 2017

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!

First Known Use: 1690

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Other Performing Arts Terms

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

marquee

adjective mar·quee

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

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!

First Known Use: 1946

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MARQUEE Defined for English Language Learners

marquee

play

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)