English Reference
Noun

marquee

n. countable
C1 Advanced US /mɑɹˈki/ UK /mɑːkˈiː/ mar·quee UK spelling marquees Computing Internet

n.a large tent used for outdoor parties or events. In the world of computers and design, it also refers to a tool used to select a specific area on a screen.

n.a large tent used for social or commercial functions; in a digital context, a graphical user interface tool for selecting a rectangular area of an image or screen.


SIMPLE

The wedding reception was held in a large marquee on the lawn.

CONTEXTUAL

Use the marquee tool to select the person in the photo before you apply the filter.

Usage

In computing, often used as an attributive noun, as in 'marquee tool' or 'marquee selection'.

On the other side, Tonali was the face of Tottenham’s troubles, the £100m marquee signing playing a game where the ball seemed to elude him, tease him from afar.

The Guardian· 22 Aug 2026

Depor’s marquee signing has been a 37-year-old Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Guardian· 15 Aug 2026

From marquise, from French marquise. Ultimately from same root as march (“border country”), margin (“edge”). Ultimately cognate with marque.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin French marquise
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated