headliner

noun

head·​lin·​er ˈhed-ˌlī-nər 

1

: the principal performer in a show : star

broadly : personality sense 4b

2

: fabric covering the inside of the roof of an automobile

Synonyms

• star
• principal

Examples of headliner in a Sentence

He was the headliner at a local night club.

a headliner on variety shows in the early days of TV

Recent Examples on the Web

This week doesn’t have the depth of marquee headliners (few weeks do), but Miami going to Florida State with both teams competing in the ACC is a throwback treat. —Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025

Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski says ICE will be present at the 2026 Super Bowl, notably stating the news in the wake of the announcement of Bad Bunny as the show’s headliner. —Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025

While Parsons and Loggins — the Saturday and Sunday headliners, respectively — have pulled out, Friday headliner Rick Springfield is still scheduled to appear (a rep for Springfield did not immediately return Rolling Stone‘s request for comment). —Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025

The fest will also announce additional headliners in the coming months. —Katie Bain, Billboard, 1 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for headliner

• airliner
• combiner
• designer
• diviner
• eyeliner
• pulvinar
• recliner
• refiner
• diner
• finer
• liner
• miner