headline
Americannoun
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headlines
plural
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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.
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the largest such heading on the front page, usually at the top.
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the line at the top of a page, containing the title, pagination, etc.
verb (used with object)
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to furnish with a headline.
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to mention or name in a headline.
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to publicize, feature, or star (a specific performer, product, etc.).
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to be the star of (a show, nightclub act, etc.)
verb (used without object)
noun
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Also called: head. heading.
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a phrase at the top of a newspaper or magazine article indicating the subject of the article, usually in larger and heavier type
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a line at the top of a page indicating the title, page number, etc
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(usually plural) the main points of a television or radio news broadcast, read out before the full broadcast and summarized at the end
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to become prominent in the news
verb
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(tr) to furnish (a story or page) with a headline
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to have top billing (in)
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of headline
Explanation
A headline is the title of a newspaper story. You'll know the headline, because it's printed in the largest font on the front of the paper. Printed newspapers have headlines, and online journals, magazines, and newspapers also use headlines. A headline is the title of a story in the paper, and it's usually easy to spot by its large, bold letters. Sometimes television and radio news also use the word headline to mean the biggest, most important news stories of the day. The word was originally a printer's term for the title and page number, and by 1890 it meant "newspaper title."
Vocabulary lists containing headline
Journalism
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Journalism Jargon
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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.
See Examples For:
Still, July marked the 18th consecutive month that the increase in grocery prices has outpaced headline inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Some of it may be hyped news, headline sensationalism.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
"Triple lock is vital to ward off pensioner poverty" reads the Sunday Express's headline, adding: "Campaigners say devastating new report on plight of UK elderly proves lifeline must stay".
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
In 2025, the Onion ran a spoof headline imagining the State Department designating the league a terrorist organization.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
He held up the paper so that they could see the huge headline.
From "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl
Australian toxic mushroom killer Erin Patterson launches an appeal Wednesday against her conviction in a triple-murder case that made headlines worldwide.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
If you only followed the headlines, it was difficult to reconcile the two dominant narratives about Gen Z. Depending on the week, we were either frighteningly reckless or hopelessly boring.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
The U.S. economy may appear vibrant, based on headlines about the low unemployment rate, the slow pace of layoffs, an apparent slowdown in inflation and the stock market hitting record highs.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Additionally, I quit scrolling news sites for headlines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The arrests filled the headlines, but Booth, the most famous and recognizable man in America, remained free.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
Last year's Glastonbury festival was headlined by The 1975, Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo, with Sir Rod Stewart in the legends slot.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Actor and Tibetan activist Richard Gere headlined an hourslong Times Square rally on Saturday honoring Lobga where many wore T-shirts depicting him as a martyr surrounded by flames.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
They headlined Coachella in 2025, a rare heavy rock band to top the most influential festival in the U.S., delivering a raucous and thrashing set unlike any in the last decade of Coachella headliners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
The group recently completed their European tour and headlined a Super Bowl-style halftime show at the World Cup final in the United States.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
It doesn’t mention the even-bigger-to-me news that last night Shooting Star headlined at a club in Seattle and, according to the text Adam sent me at midnight, sold out the place.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
The Sex Pistols headlining the Palladium in New York City or the Agora in Cleveland wouldn’t have made splashy headlines.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
They began touring in the 2000s and progressed to headlining major arenas around the world.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
That makes Debbie and Judith relatable and extraordinary figures, in that they are 50-something women, played by 50-something women headlining a high-velocity espionage thriller, linked to developments each is entitled to be angry about.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
After a stint on the Warped Tour, Jimmy Eat World set out on a U.S. headlining tour in the fall, with Hey Mercedes opening.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
“I know! You’re headlining at major concert venues all over the world. I completely get that. I’m gonna start in New York and work my way around the globe,” I say.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
