tentpole
Americannoun
plural
tentpoles-
one of the poles used to hold up a tent.
-
something which is central and supports a project, idea, campaign, company, etc.
-
a piece of media, particularly a big-budget movie, intended by a studio to make enough profit to finance less successful projects.
adjective
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 deeply feeling kid is a tentpole of Dr. Becky’s brand.
From Slate • May 10, 2026
The network had been heavily promoting the show for months, even sending Paul to the Oscars the previous weekend, with the hope that the social media star would revitalise an ageing tentpole franchise.
From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026
China is now big enough to mint a world-beating movie almost entirely on its own — and powerful enough to decide whether a Hollywood tentpole merely succeeds, or becomes truly historic.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 31, 2025
The series “has really emerged as a much-needed, fresh tentpole for Universal,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2025
Denis stepped down from the bench; tied insecurely and crookedly to the tentpole, the Union Jack hung limp on the windless air.
From Crome Yellow by Huxley, Aldous
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
