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 the real winner was anyone who got to enjoy all of that marquee excellence, and the sexy saxophone guy from The Lost Boys, from home. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 8 June 2026

The May consumer price index , out on Wednesday, will be the marquee data point of the week. —Zev Fima, CNBC, 7 June 2026

Adjective

One of the marquee Senate races, of course, is in Maine, where the Democratic nominee, presumptive nominee, is Graham Platner. —ABC News, 31 May 2026

Its flagship daily show, Piers Morgan Uncensored, is the marquee global arena for spirited debate and conversation with world leaders, newsmakers, cultural figures, and subject matter experts. —Time Pr, Time, 23 Apr. 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