as in stars
the person who has the most important role in a play, movie, or TV show
a headliner on variety shows in the early days of TV
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Recent Examples of headliners
Innings Festival The Innings Festival 2026 will bring headliners Blink-182, Twenty One Pilots and Mumford & Sons, and more performances by Cage The Elephant, Sublime, Lord Huron, Goo Goo Dolls, Myles Smith and Public Enemy, just to name a few.
—
Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Past Super Bowl Tailgate shows have including headliners Miley Cyrus, the Chainsmokers, Black Keys, Jason DeRulo, Gwen Stefani and Post Malone.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Jan. 2026
Those five teams have nine games among each other before the conference tournament, including national headliners this week — Nebraska at Michigan on Tuesday, then Michigan at Michigan State on Friday, then Illinois at Nebraska on Sunday.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
In Maye’s experience, most of the headliners who make appearances at these kinds of events do just that – make appearances, take photos, present a check.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
This year’s headliners are Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson and Post Malone.
—Holly Alvarado, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Those two will be headliners on Sunday, which is the 10th of 16 neutral-site matchups on this season’s Takeover Tour.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Jan. 2026
Working as a stand-up since 1995, Sommore first garnered recognition for her work as the first female host of BET’s ComicView, and as one of four female headliners on The Queens of Comedy tour, alongside Laura Hayes, Adele Givens, and Mo’Nique.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2026
The Minnesota Yacht Club Festival debuted in 2024 with headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gwen Stefani and Alanis Morissette and was a hit with critics and crowds.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 21 Jan. 2026
Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Past Super Bowl Tailgate shows have including headliners Miley Cyrus, the Chainsmokers, Black Keys, Jason DeRulo, Gwen Stefani and Post Malone.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Jan. 2026
Those five teams have nine games among each other before the conference tournament, including national headliners this week — Nebraska at Michigan on Tuesday, then Michigan at Michigan State on Friday, then Illinois at Nebraska on Sunday.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
In Maye’s experience, most of the headliners who make appearances at these kinds of events do just that – make appearances, take photos, present a check.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
This year’s headliners are Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson and Post Malone.
—Holly Alvarado, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Those two will be headliners on Sunday, which is the 10th of 16 neutral-site matchups on this season’s Takeover Tour.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Jan. 2026
Working as a stand-up since 1995, Sommore first garnered recognition for her work as the first female host of BET’s ComicView, and as one of four female headliners on The Queens of Comedy tour, alongside Laura Hayes, Adele Givens, and Mo’Nique.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2026
The Minnesota Yacht Club Festival debuted in 2024 with headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gwen Stefani and Alanis Morissette and was a hit with critics and crowds.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headliners
Noun
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The lowest-mass stars appear small, faint, red, and cool; the higher mass stars appear large, bright, blue, and hot.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Feb. 2026
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Tokyo — In scenes normally reserved for J-pop stars, thousands of fans huddle against the cold outside a small train station on the outskirts of Tokyo, their phones held high for a glimpse of Japan’s latest obsession.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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One of the principals at Zero Gravity, Williams is known for co-creating Netflix’s Ozark with Bill Dubuque.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
5 Feb. 2026
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But unlike those other documents, the bill stated that principals or teachers may not read the Ten Commandments aloud when students are present.—
Hayleigh Colombo,
IndyStar,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headliners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headliners. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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