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 of headliner

• 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

The festival announced its upcoming artist lineup Thursday in an Instagram post, with headliners including Robyn, Swedish House Mafia and Dog Blood — a duo made up of Skrillex and Boys Noize. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026

Its headliners included Vanilla Ice, the Commodores, Bret Michaels of Poison, Flo Rida, Martina McBride, Milli Vanilli, and the C+C Music Factory—a handful of recognizable acts, albeit ones that had their respective heydays several decades ago. —Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026

And the headliners for the evening (Blesstonio, Jesse de la Peña and Mochi) will perform first, not last. —Britt Julious, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026

For musical entertainment, Friday’s headliner will be Death Cab for Cutie plus Goth Babe and Japanese Breakfast. —John Meyer, Denver Post, 28 May 2026

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