tentpole
noun
tent·pole
ˈtent-ˌpōl 
: a big-budget movie whose earnings are expected to compensate the studio for its less profitable movies
Examples of tentpole in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Fan Festival and the World Cup matches at NRG Stadium are the tentpoles of Houston's summer of soccer.
—
Peter Warren, Houston Chronicle, 1 May 2026
But those visually striking tentpoles weren’t enough to boost the company’s profits and revenues, both of which were down during the first quarter of 2026.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
And a giant title card lands with the swagger of a studio tentpole.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
Other feature writing credits for Butterworth include such tentpoles as Edge of Tomorrow, Spectre, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Black Mass and Universal’s own Get On Up.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tentpole
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Peter Warren, Houston Chronicle, 1 May 2026
But those visually striking tentpoles weren’t enough to boost the company’s profits and revenues, both of which were down during the first quarter of 2026.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
And a giant title card lands with the swagger of a studio tentpole.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
Other feature writing credits for Butterworth include such tentpoles as Edge of Tomorrow, Spectre, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Black Mass and Universal’s own Get On Up.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tentpole
Cite this Entry
“Tentpole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tentpole. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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