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
The festival — which focuses on Y2K era rock with past headliners like Green Day, Blink-182, My Chemical Romance, and the Killers — has taken place at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds every October from 2022 to 2025.
—
Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2026
The Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival brings an eclectic lineup to this year’s event with headliners Cage the Elephant, Fisher, LCD Soundsystem, T-Pain and The Lumineers appearing among more than 130 acts performing this year.
—Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2026
That set-up makes Cole relatively unique among prediction markets’ headliners, many of whom are suspected of exploiting insider info to dupe rubes for short-term gains.
—Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 26 Feb. 2026
Currently on his Mad About Nothing tour, Stroup can frequently be seen on a bill with Bargatze and other national headliners like Bert Kreischer, Larry the Cable Guy, and John Crist.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
Allen and Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles were the headliners, though.
—Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
The festival was set to feature Maná, Ivan Cornejo, J Balvin and Christian Nodal as headliners.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
Eric Church was not one of those headliners.
—Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2026
All three are first-time headliners for the festival, so anticipation is high.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 Feb. 2026
Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2026
The Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival brings an eclectic lineup to this year’s event with headliners Cage the Elephant, Fisher, LCD Soundsystem, T-Pain and The Lumineers appearing among more than 130 acts performing this year.
—Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2026
That set-up makes Cole relatively unique among prediction markets’ headliners, many of whom are suspected of exploiting insider info to dupe rubes for short-term gains.
—Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 26 Feb. 2026
Currently on his Mad About Nothing tour, Stroup can frequently be seen on a bill with Bargatze and other national headliners like Bert Kreischer, Larry the Cable Guy, and John Crist.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
Allen and Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles were the headliners, though.
—Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
The festival was set to feature Maná, Ivan Cornejo, J Balvin and Christian Nodal as headliners.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
Eric Church was not one of those headliners.
—Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2026
All three are first-time headliners for the festival, so anticipation is high.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headliners
Noun
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The shining stars of the property are the Fairmont Gold Suites, which occupy the southwest corners of each guest room floor.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Feb. 2026
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Gone are the days when stars seemed to go from strength to strength — when Tom Hanks, for instance, followed Philadelphia with Forrest Gump, and Forrest Gump with Apollo 13, and Apollo 13 with Toy Story.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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These threats and warnings have left teachers and principals, who historically have aimed to keep students safe when expressing their views, on tenterhooks.—
Jeffrey S. Solochek,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2026
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The Education Department first told principals to prepare for the possibility of a remote snow day Friday night, when people were still out of town during the midwinter break.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headliners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headliners. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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