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

But when Beaverton began conceptualizing a relaunch of the line in 2024, the designers shifted their focus to the growing sport of trail running, where marquee races are rarely shorter than 50km. — Daniel Varghese, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Matching the art deco style of the Hôtel Martinez (with the font mimicking that of the actual marquee), the new While Lotus logo is a major departure from the ornate flowers featured in the first seasons. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026

Adjective

One reason the Broncos are planning a retractable roof on the new stadium is to attract marquee national events year-round, which would include the Super Bowl as well as the NCAA basketball Final Four. — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 2 Oct. 2026

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

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