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

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

Patrick says marquee sound, staging, lighting and video are part of the production.

— matt wake | mwake@al.com, AL.com, "Your guide to new Fireside Music Festival at former Madison Square site," 8 Aug. 2017
After ordering 36 F-15 fighters from the U.S. and seven warships from Italy, the latest marquee purchase is Neymar, who will become the world's most expensive footballer.

— daniel ten kate, Bloomberg.com, "Balance of Power: China's Elite Vie for Top Posts at Secret Talks," 3 Aug. 2017
And Republicans have also failed to make much progress on other marquee agenda items, like a tax overhaul or an infrastructure bill, while falling behind on the annual spending bills needed to keep the lights on in government.

— Washington Post, "Congress recessing, leaving much undone, tensions with Trump," 3 Aug. 2017
Its 38 rooms, in fact, are reminders of its marquee guest list, each named and styled after one of Cliveden's star visitors.

— keith flanagan, Town & Country, "Is This the Most Scandalous Hotel in England?," 26 July 2017
There’s the Village East Cinema, with its antique marquee spelled out in three-dimensional letters, so the winter snow gathers along their tops like white hats.

— jeremiah moss, Longreads, "Mourning the Low-Rent, Weirdo-Filled East Village of Old," 24 July 2017
The final table for the marquee no-limit Texas Hold ’em main event in Las Vegas was set early Tuesday.

— regina garcia cano, The Seattle Times, "Final table set for World Series of Poker Main Event," 18 July 2017
And then merely hope the game itself, Tuesday night, will justify its ceremonial top of the marquee.

— greg cote, miamiherald, "Home Run Derby, not All-Star Game, is real star of baseball’s midsummer break," 9 July 2017
With time to fill on its broadcast after the marquee matches fizzled, ESPN assembled an all-hands-on-deck panel of 10 commentators to discuss an issue that seemed more urgent than ever.

— ben rothenberg, New York Times, "Players Pull Out at Wimbledon, and Calls for Reform Flood In," 6 July 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! 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

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

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)