headline

1 of 3

noun

head·​line ˈhed-ˌlīn 

1

: words set at the head of a passage or page to introduce or categorize

2

a

: a head of a newspaper story or article usually printed in large type and giving the gist of the story or article that follows

b

headlines plural : major and widely reported news

the scandal made/grabbed headlines

a story in the headlines [=widely reported] for weeks

headline

2 of 3

verb

headlined; headlining; headlines

transitive verb

1

: to provide with a headline

2

: to publicize highly

3

: to be engaged as a leading performer in (a show)

headline

3 of 3

adjective

: deserving mention in a headline : very noteworthy

the headline abduction of a diplomat

Synonyms of headline

Noun

• title
• caption
• heading

Examples of headline in a Sentence

Noun

The story of his arrest appeared beneath the headline “Caught!”.

She only had time to scan the headlines before she had to rush out the door.

Surprising developments have kept the murder investigation in the headlines for several weeks.

She has grabbed the headlines by making public accusations of corruption within the government.

Verb

The band is headlining the music festival.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But, beyond the wall-to-wall coverage and sensational headlines, is a story about the incredible courage, devotion, and strength that Natalee’s mother, Beth, showed in the face of unimaginable loss. — Peter White, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026

Goliath, one of Six Flags Over Georgia's headline attractions, towers above the park's entrance. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026

Verb

Grammer is headlining and executive producing Pops, which has entered development at the network. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026

This time, the 29-year-old country star headlined the Eventim Apollo, a London stage once played by the Beatles, Queen and David Bowie. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

Adjective

Dean also played a lead role in Akon’s Live Nation tour agreement for his Nights Like This global co-headline tour with Ne-Yo, along with Tinashe’s new recording agreement with Atlantic Records. — Claudia Rosenbaum, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026

The key non-headline metric for Palo Alto is next-generation security annual recurring revenue, known as NGS ARR. — Kevin Stankiewicz,zev Fima, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1771, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1906, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing headline

• headline inflation

Rhymes for headline

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• brucine
• byline

Kids Definition

headline

1 of 2 noun

head·​line -ˌlīn 

1

: a line at the top of a page (as in a book) giving a heading

2

: the title over an item or article in a newspaper

headline

2 of 2 verb

1

: to provide with a headline

2

: to publicize highly