diff --git a/base/broadcast.jl b/base/broadcast.jl
index 4d5ca6b92fe19..0f00a21af71ba 100644
--- a/base/broadcast.jl
+++ b/base/broadcast.jl
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ using .Base.Cartesian
 using .Base: Indices, OneTo, tail, to_shape, isoperator, promote_typejoin,
              _msk_end, unsafe_bitgetindex, bitcache_chunks, bitcache_size, dumpbitcache, unalias
 import .Base: copy, copyto!, axes
-export broadcast, broadcast!, BroadcastStyle, broadcast_axes, broadcastable, dotview, @__dot__
+export broadcast, broadcast!, BroadcastStyle, broadcast_axes, broadcastable, dotview, @__dot__, @:
 
 ## Computing the result's axes: deprecated name
 const broadcast_axes = axes
@@ -1217,4 +1217,29 @@ end
 end
 @inline broadcasted(::S, f, args...) where S<:BroadcastStyle = Broadcasted{S}(f, args)
 
+function _lazy end  # only used in `@:` macro; does not have to be callable
+# wrap the Broadcasted object in a tuple to avoid materializing
+@inline broadcasted(::typeof(_lazy), x) = (x,)
+
+"""
+    @: broadcasting_expression
+
+Construct a non-materialized broadcasted object from a `broadcasting_expression`
+and [`instantiate`](@ref) it.
+
+# Examples
+```jldoctest
+julia> bc = @: (1:3).^2;
+
+julia> bc isa Broadcast.Broadcasted  # it's not an `Array`
+true
+
+julia> sum(bc)  # summation without allocating an array
+14
+```
+"""
+macro (:)(ex)
+    return esc(:($instantiate(($_lazy.($ex))[1])))
+end
+
 end # module
diff --git a/base/exports.jl b/base/exports.jl
index 23b4141a06c5e..c924563f92039 100644
--- a/base/exports.jl
+++ b/base/exports.jl
@@ -974,6 +974,7 @@ export
 
     @assert,
     @__dot__,
+    @:,
     @enum,
     @label,
     @goto,
diff --git a/src/julia-parser.scm b/src/julia-parser.scm
index 7c8a36d21f141..dcbf926bb0f99 100644
--- a/src/julia-parser.scm
+++ b/src/julia-parser.scm
@@ -2331,9 +2331,10 @@
                  (disallowed-space '@ nxt)))
            (with-space-sensitive
             (let ((startloc  (line-number-node s))
-                  (head (if (eq? (peek-token s) '|.|)
-                            (begin (take-token s) '__dot__)
-                            (parse-atom s #f))))
+                  (head (case (peek-token s)
+			  ((|.|) (begin (take-token s)  '__dot__))
+			  ((:) (take-token s))
+			  (else (parse-atom s #f)))))
               (peek-token s)
               (if (ts:space? s)
                   (maybe-docstring
diff --git a/test/syntax.jl b/test/syntax.jl
index 85951185f4a57..6e446bf6b2d14 100644
--- a/test/syntax.jl
+++ b/test/syntax.jl
@@ -1833,6 +1833,11 @@ end
     @test allocs == 0
 end
 
+@test Meta.parse("@: a b c") == Expr(:macrocall,
+                                     Symbol("@:"),
+				     LineNumberNode(1, :none),
+				     :a, :b, :c)
+
 @test_throws UndefVarError eval(Symbol(""))
 @test_throws UndefVarError eval(:(1+$(Symbol(""))))