marquee

American  

[mahr-kee] / mɑrˈki /

noun

1. a tall rooflike projection above a theater entrance, usually containing the name of a currently featured play or film and its stars.

2. a rooflike shelter, as of glass, projecting above an outer door and over a sidewalk or a terrace.

3. British. Also a large tent or tentlike shelter with open sides, especially one for temporary use in outdoor entertainments, receptions, etc.

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adjective

1. superlative; headlining.

   a marquee basketball player.

marquee British  

/ mɑːˈkiː /

noun

1. a large tent used for entertainment, exhibition, etc

2. Also called: marquise.  a canopy over the entrance to a theatre, hotel, etc

3. (modifier) celebrated or pre-eminent

   a marquee player

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Etymology

Origin of marquee

1680–90; assumed singular of marquise, taken as plural

Explanation

A marquee is the roof-like overhang at the doorway of a hotel or theater, often holding a sign. You could choose a Broadway play just by wandering past the theaters and picking out a marquee that looks interesting. A marquee is a theater sign or canopy that protrudes above a building's entrance. Movie theaters and performing arts theaters can have marquees, as can hotels and many other buildings. Marquee can also describe a person with a starring role, almost always preceding the word player, like when you describe the most well-known member of your local mime troupe as your "marquee player."

Example Sentences

Wednesday was another marquee day on Wall Street with three of the four major U.S. stock indexes finishing at fresh record highs as traders hoped there was an end in sight to the Iran war.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

Music mega-star Beyonce will make her first appearance at the event in a decade, serving as a co-chair of fashion's marquee event along with tennis legend Venus Williams and Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

Many bookings typically land shortly before a marquee event begins.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

Within weeks, the prosecutor’s marquee case would quietly fall apart.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2026

Hundreds of people milled under the marquee of Madison Square Garden as Alfred and Henry came up from the subway.

From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte