tentpole

T1E1N1T1P3O1L1E1
US/ˈtɛntˌpoʊl/

noun

One of the poles used to hold up a tent.

Scrabble 10
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Meanings

nountentpole (plural tentpoles)

plural tentpoles · alternative tent pole

  1. One of the poles used to hold up a tent.
  2. USattributivefigurativelyusuallybroadcastingA large-scale entertainment production that is a major source of revenue for its studio, television network, or investors.

    His [James Rolfe's] reasoning dances around the simple fact that has set this innocuous-seeming movie apart from its fellow blockbusters this summer—that it’s a tentpole genre film starring women.

    2016 May 18, David Sims, “The Outcry Against the All-Female ‘Ghostbusters’ Remake Gets Louder”, in The Atlantic
verbtentpole (third-person singular simple present tentpoles, present participle tentpoling, simple past and past participle tentpoled)

present singular third person tentpoles · participle present tentpoling · participle past tentpoled · past tentpoled · alternative tent pole

  1. broadcastingTo schedule a popular programme between two newer or less popular ones in the hope that viewers will watch them.

Origin

From tent + pole.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek κάμαξ
  • κάμαξ (kámax)pole used to hold up a tent
Arabic بِوَان, عَمُود البَيْت
  • بِوَان (biwān)pole used to hold up a tent
  • عَمُود البَيْت (ʕamūd al-bayt)pole used to hold up a tent
Dutch tentstok
  • tentstokpole used to hold up a tent
Finnish telttakeppi
  • telttakeppipole used to hold up a tent
French mât de tente
  • mât de tentepole used to hold up a tent
German Zeltstange
  • Zeltstangepole used to hold up a tent
Indonesian tiang kemah, batang tenda
  • tiang kemahpole used to hold up a tent
  • batang tendapole used to hold up a tent
  • tongkat tendapole used to hold up a tent
Russian сто́йка для пала́тки, сто́йка для те́нта
  • сто́йка для пала́тки (stójka dlja palátki)pole used to hold up a tent
  • сто́йка для те́нта (stójka dlja ténta)pole used to hold up a tent
Ukrainian сті́йка для наме́ту, опо́рна тичи́на те́нту
  • сті́йка для наме́ту (stíjka dlja namétu)pole used to hold up a tent
  • опо́рна тичи́на те́нту (opórna tyčýna téntu)pole used to hold up a tent
Cite this entry
APA

tentpole. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tentpole

MLA

“tentpole.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tentpole. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tentpole,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tentpole.

Source: tentpole on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.