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.

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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

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verb

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

2. to have top billing (in)

Etymology

Origin of headline

First recorded in 1620–30; head + line ¹

Example Sentences

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

Leadership narrows, with fewer stocks carrying the advance, even as headline indexes appear stable.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Evercore ISI noted that while the headline redemption figures are “undeniably large,” the earnings impact is “materially more modest.”

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

“Antipoverty Worker Urges Promotion of Black Power,” shouted the headline in the state’s most important newspaper, the Raleigh News & Observer.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• caption
• title