marquee

1 of 2

noun

mar·​quee mär-ˈkē How to pronounce marquee (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
In that shuttering, America withdrew its helping hand to the world, its most potent and effective marquee for its values of caring, helping, educating and uplifting. Llewellyn King, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025 But the Big Ten and the SEC see opportunities to create still more revenue for themselves with more marquee early-season nonconference matchups and high-stakes late-season intraconference games. Ralph D. Russo, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
League-leaders Bayern Munich help kick off Saturday’s six-match slate before a pair of matches on Sunday, including a marquee matchup between Koln and Eintracht Frankfurt. Nick Hennion, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2023 Bergman will continue to have dominion over all of Disney’s marquee film stables, including Marvel, Pixar, Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Animation, 20th Century and Searchlight, as well as Disney Music Group and Disney Theatrical Group. Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2023 See All Example Sentences for marquee

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of marquee was in 1690

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Cite this Entry

“Marquee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marquee. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on marquee

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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