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Meaning & use

marquees

noun·Advanced

Last updated

UK/mɑːˈkiːz/
US/mɑːrˈkiːz/

“marquees” is a form of “marquee”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. nounplural

    Large tents with open sides that are put up outdoors for parties, weddings, or shows.

    Grammar: This is the plural of 'marquee'; use 'a marquee' for one tent and 'marquees' for two or more.

    Patterns

    • put up marquees
    • hire marquees
    • a row of marquees

    The hotel put up three marquees on the lawn for the summer weddings.

    We hired marquees for the garden party because rain was forecast.

    Rows of white marquees covered the field before the festival opened.

  2. nounpluralAmerican

    The large signs above the entrances of theaters or cinemas that show what is playing.

    Grammar: Plural of 'marquee'; the singular form usually appears after 'a' or 'the'.

    Patterns

    • theater marquees
    • light up the marquees
    • marquees above the entrance

    Neon marquees lit up the whole street outside the old cinemas.

    The theater's marquees still advertise the show that closed last month.

    Workers changed the letters on the marquees every Monday morning.

Word forms

singularmarquee

Common combinations

hire a marquee
They hired a marquee for the wedding reception.
put up a marquee
It took six people to put up the marquee.
a marquee wedding
A marquee wedding is popular when the weather is unpredictable.
under a marquee
The guests stayed dry under a marquee.
the theater marquee
The theater marquee announced a new play.

Synonyms and how they differ

tent
A tent is smaller and usually closed, used for camping; a marquee is large and open-sided for events.
pavilion
A pavilion is a permanent or semi-permanent building, while a marquee is temporary and made of fabric.

Word family

marquee noun
The singular form, meaning one large event tent or a theater sign.

Commonly confused: marquees or marquis? marquees or market?

marquees vs marquis

A marquis is a European nobleman, pronounced the same in some accents but spelled with an -is and having nothing to do with tents.

marquees vs market

A market is a place where goods are sold; a marquee is a tent or a sign, so the words are unrelated despite similar sounds.

Practice

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