noun
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(in the British Isles) a nobleman ranking between a duke and an earl
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See marquis
Etymology
Origin of marquess
Spelling variant of marquis
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The impudence of a bawd is modesty compared with that of a convert,” said George Savile, the first marquess of Halifax.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
His sister Sybil, who married a marquess and restored the palatial Houghton Hall in Norfolk, sat several times for John Singer Sargent, drenched in silk that resembles whipped butter.
From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2023
His musical stage biographer Seiriol Davies said the Victorian and Edwardian values of high British society acted against the fifth marquess.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2020
David Michael Mountbatten, the marquess of Milford Haven and second cousin to King George VI, stayed with them at the home before his wedding in 1950.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 30, 2016
“The marquess made sure Dumas could fence. Skilled, courageous, Dumas was famous right up to the day he was jailed.”
From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
