tentpole

noun

tent·​pole ˈtent-ˌpōl 

: a big-budget movie whose earnings are expected to compensate the studio for its less profitable movies

Examples of tentpole in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Saint Laurent show, staged under the dramatic glow of the Eiffel Tower, has long been a buzzy tentpole of Paris Fashion Week. — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026

The last milestone left for the Marvel-Sony tentpole is to become the first movie to cross $1 billion at the domestic box office alone. — Jack Dunn, Variety, 28 Sep. 2026

Cineplex operates around 1,606 movie screens at 156 locations across Canada and is a major launchpad for Hollywood tentpoles and other films screening north of the border. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026

Equally, Pattinson’s ability to jump seamlessly between offbeat indies and hundred-million-dollar tentpoles is a skill the modern Academy tends to value. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1987, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tentpole

• bankroll
• bedroll
• borehole
• cajole
• catchpole
• charcoal
• condole
• control
• dipole
• downhole
• enroll
• extol