headliners

noun

plural of headliner
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of headliners In addition to the Friday night standup comedian headliners, attendees at the 18th annual MTO will have the option of six events including a yacht party and a community service beach cleanup. — Sergy Odiduro, Miami Herald, 21 July 2026 And the view of the northern Rockies commands equal attention with the headliners. — Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 21 July 2026 The 11-minute spectacle welcomed four headliners in Shakira, Bieber, Madonna and BTS but barely gave any of them enough time to shine. — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 19 July 2026 The inaugural World Cup halftime show has BTS, Justin Bieber, Madonna and Shakira as co-headliners, curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin on behalf of the Global Citizen Education Fund. — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 19 July 2026 To set up the on-field stage for the co-headliners of Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira and BTS, the midmatch break could last around 25 minutes, according to Reuters. — Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 18 July 2026 The headliners—Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber and BTS—all hail from different countries. — Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira, Burna Boy and BTS are the headliners of the show, set to take place during Sunday's championship match between Argentina and Spain at New York New Jersey Stadium. — ABC News, 17 July 2026 This fall’s New York Comedy Festival is taking shape with some big-name headliners. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headliners
  1. stars
  2. principals
Noun
  • The returning stars include Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Kelsey Grammer, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn and Channing Tatum.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 26 July 2026
  • Located just steps from Reims' majestic cathedral, his restaurant has earned two Michelin stars while establishing relationships with many of the region's most respected champagne producers.
    — Yuri Shima, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of stars
Noun
  • The five original Broadway principals — also including Amber Gray, as Persephone — got the old gang back together and went into the West End production five weeks before the film was shot in front of three live audiences.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 25 July 2026
  • The hit musical, written by Anaïs Mitchell and directed by Rachel Chavkin, won eight Tony Awards in 2019 including Best Musical, and the 2020 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album with the five original principals of the Broadway company.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 24 July 2026
Definition of principals

Browse Nearby Words

headliner
headliners
headlines
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Headliners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headliners. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of kludge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All