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Synonyms

headline

American  
[hed-lahyn] / ˈhɛdˌlaɪn /

noun

  1. a heading in a newspaper for any written material, sometimes for an illustration, to indicate subject matter, set in larger type than that of the copy and containing one or more words and lines and often several banks.

  2. the largest such heading on the front page, usually at the top.

  3. the line at the top of a page, containing the title, pagination, etc.

verb (used with object)

headlined, headlining

  1. to furnish with a headline.

  2. to mention or name in a headline.

  3. to publicize, feature, or star (a specific performer, product, etc.).

  4. to be the star of (a show, nightclub act, etc.)

verb (used without object)

headlined, headlining

  1. to be the star of an entertainment.

headline British  
/ ˈhɛdˌlaɪn /

noun

  1. Also called: head.   heading. 

    1. a phrase at the top of a newspaper or magazine article indicating the subject of the article, usually in larger and heavier type

    2. a line at the top of a page indicating the title, page number, etc

  2. (usually plural) the main points of a television or radio news broadcast, read out before the full broadcast and summarized at the end

  3. to become prominent in the news

"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

verb

  1. (tr) to furnish (a story or page) with a headline

  2. to have top billing (in)

"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 headline

First recorded in 1620–30; head + line 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.

March’s solid headline number might have been a glimpse of that.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

So I shouldn’t trust any of these headline numbers?

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026

The headline index, which represents the percentage of major manufacturing firms that said business conditions were favorable minus those that said conditions were unfavorable, rose to +17 from +16 in the prior quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Currently headline PCE inflation measured 2.8% year over year in January.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

We’re the headline article of the Sunday newspaper, which is still dropped off at thousands of homes in Cincinnati.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

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.