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
Slated for March 19 to 22, this year’s Okeechobee marks the first time the festival, held in its namesake Florida town, has taken place since 2023, when ODESZA, Baby Keem, Griz, Excision, Goose and Turnstile were among the headliners.
—
Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 10 Mar. 2026
Pop star Bebe Rexha (March 28) and country music crooner Dustin Lynch (March 29) were the other two headliners listed on the original lineup.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2026
The headliners were defensive end John Franklin-Myers and cornerback Alontae Taylor on deals with annual average values of at least $20 million.
—Schuyler Dixon, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
Tennessee's headliners were defensive end John Franklin-Myers and cornerback Alontae Taylor on deals with annual average values of at least $20 million.
—ABC News, 9 Mar. 2026
This year, some headliners include Marshmello, Kygo, Tiesto, Fisher, Disclosure, John Summit, and more.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2026
While their genre peers’ fates have varied, Mumford & Sons remained perennial arena and festival headliners, with an ambitious midcareer streak in the studio.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Thursday's headliners are listed as My Chemical Romance and The Offspring.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Filmmaker Spike Jonze and California Governor Gavin Newsom are among the headliners at Vox Media’s podcast stage during the South by Southwest Conference and Festival, which runs March 12–18 in Austin.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 4 Mar. 2026
Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 10 Mar. 2026
Pop star Bebe Rexha (March 28) and country music crooner Dustin Lynch (March 29) were the other two headliners listed on the original lineup.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2026
The headliners were defensive end John Franklin-Myers and cornerback Alontae Taylor on deals with annual average values of at least $20 million.
—Schuyler Dixon, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
Tennessee's headliners were defensive end John Franklin-Myers and cornerback Alontae Taylor on deals with annual average values of at least $20 million.
—ABC News, 9 Mar. 2026
This year, some headliners include Marshmello, Kygo, Tiesto, Fisher, Disclosure, John Summit, and more.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2026
While their genre peers’ fates have varied, Mumford & Sons remained perennial arena and festival headliners, with an ambitious midcareer streak in the studio.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Thursday's headliners are listed as My Chemical Romance and The Offspring.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Filmmaker Spike Jonze and California Governor Gavin Newsom are among the headliners at Vox Media’s podcast stage during the South by Southwest Conference and Festival, which runs March 12–18 in Austin.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 4 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headliners
Noun
-
This isn’t just a local problem; the Astrophage are eating stars everywhere, like ants at an intergalactic picnic.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
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The stars are turning down the volume, but not changing the message.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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About 36% of the principals, who were surveyed from May to August, said students from immigrant families had been bullied, and 64% said their attendance had dropped.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Ortiz and Intriago were principals of Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and Counter Terrorist Unit Security, collectively known as CTU, and Veintemilla was a principal of Worldwide Capital Lending Group.—
David Fischer,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headliners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headliners. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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