headliner
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of headliner
Explanation
A headliner is the main act. At a rock concert, you usually have to sit through an opening band or two before the headliner comes on stage. The headliner is the biggest star or the main event. The headliner at a jazz festival is the most popular performer, the one most audience members came to see, and the headliner of a musical theater review is the star of the show. In the early 1890's, a headliner worked for a newspaper — the word originally meant "one who writes headlines." By the end of that decade, it had come to also mean "one who stars in a performance."
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.
Madonna is also set to return to the festival after a surprise appearance alongside this year's headliner Sabrina Carpenter, 20 years on from her first Coachella set.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
The festival's final headliner has yet to be announced.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026
People started lining up at 5:45 a.m. to buy game cards because Jonathan Bennett, a Hallmark cruise headliner and “Mean Girls” alumni with one million Instagram followers, was hosting with Lissing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
Details for the halftime performance have not officially been announced, but Jay-Z is rumored to be the headliner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
He was the headliner, performing after six other gifted young pianists.
From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson
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