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

At that time, the murder of George Floyd dominated headlines and Rusnak had read an article about Stacy’s killing in the wake of the racial uprisings in the aftermath of Floyd’s death. — Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2026

In the time since, the drama involving Paul and Mortensen, who share a child together, has fueled headlines, think pieces and ongoing coverage of their appearances in court. — Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Verb

The original one was headlining [London jazz club] Ronnie Scott’s. — Thomas Smith, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2026

Osbourne headlined the star-studded Back to the Beginning concert, performing a solo set and one with the original lineup of Black Sabbath, in his hometown of Birmingham, England last July less than three weeks before his death. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026

Adjective

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

Indie rock quartet The Beths and indie-pop trio Beach Bunny are teaming up for a co-headline tour this summer. — Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 3 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