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

Fairbanks, Miami’s marquee free agent signing this offseason, earned his first save of the season with a shutout ninth inning. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2026

But Duke’s marquee stars dominated down the stretch, dealing the Red Storm an 80-75 defeat at Capital One Arena. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 28 Mar. 2026

Adjective

In 2023, Shohei Ohtani’s emphatic strikeout of Mike Trout to cap the tournament became the marquee moment of the WBC. —Katie Woo, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026

That showdown closes out a marquee three-game road trip that began Sunday in Cleveland and continues Tuesday in San Antonio. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 9 Mar. 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