top billing

noun

1

: prominent emphasis, featuring, or advertising

2

: the position at the top of a theatrical bill usually featuring the star's name

Synonyms

• catbird seat
• center stage
• limelight
• spotlight

Examples of top billing in a Sentence

despite being of epic proportions, the famine overseas rarely received top billing in the American press

Recent Examples on the Web

Smith was ranked No. 1 in the U.S. at the time, two spots ahead of his pal, yet the wildly popular Ashe always got top billing. —Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025

New England folk-pop singer-songwriter Noah Kahan gets top billing on Sunday, and the docket also includes sets from Goose, Carin Leon, Flo Rida, Khruangbin and — best of all — legendary rock guitarist Robby Krieger from The Doors, among many others. —Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 24 May 2025

That night at the Bronx River Community Center, though, the DJs and MCs didn’t take top billing. —April White, JSTOR Daily, 23 May 2025

While Haney and Garcia's fights are taking top billing, Lopez's battle with Barboza is the only actual championship bout on the card. —Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for top billing

• backfilling
• distilling
• fulfilling
• infilling
• instilling
• refilling
• sawmilling
• unwilling
• chilling
• drilling
• filling
• grilling