Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for headliner. Search instead for deadlier.
Synonyms

headliner

American  
[hed-lahy-ner] / ˈhɛdˌlaɪ nər /

noun

  1. a performer whose name appears most prominently in a program or advertisement or on a marquee; star.

headliner British  
/ ˈhɛdˌlaɪnə /

noun

  1. a performer given prominent billing; star

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of headliner

First recorded in 1890–95; headline + -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Fatboy Slim, who's become a staple on the UK music festival circuit with setlists full of crowd-pleasing hits including Praise You, was previously announced as Friday's headliner along with Australian producer Sonny Fodera.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

TRNSMT's Friday headliner Richard Ashcroft will take to the stage earlier than planned so fans can stay behind to catch kick-off for the Scotland v Morocco game at 23:00.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

Things got even weirder when it came to the headliner.

From Salon • Feb. 9, 2026

Alphabet earnings are the headliner for later, but for now, investors continue to weigh the fallout from embattled software stocks after Anthropic’s “Cowork” bombshell.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 4, 2026

The headliner in the 5,000 meters— three miles and 188 yards—was Norman Bright, a twenty-six-year-old schoolteacher.

From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.