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 music Never short on variety, Bonnaroo has previously hosted headliners from Elton John to Radiohead and Paul McCartney to Bruce Springsteen.
—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 June 2026
The members of the Los Angeles indie-pop trio Muna, who are all in their early 30s, are the youngest headliners who will perform at the venue this year.
—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 June 2026
Among the headliners, Davis native and 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Nyjah Huston will compete in the skate street event for the New York club.
—
Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
25 June 2026
But two other World Cup headliners, France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland, refused to let Messi be the only star on display.
—
David K. Li,
NBC news,
23 June 2026
Christina Aguilera, Jill Scott, Seal and Jordan Davis were announced as fellow headliners last month.
—
Alexandra Simon,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
This year’s headliners include Lorde, The Smashing Pumpkins, Olivia Dean and Tate McRae.
—
Crystal Tate,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
The 41-year-old pop star brought the energy to SoFi Stadium on Friday, June 12, as one of the ceremony's headliners, alongside other musical performances from Anitta, Tyla, BLACKPINK's Lisa and more.
—
Klaritza Rico,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
Given this is one of the lower profile group stage matches taking place in Miami, with the headliners being Colombia-Portugal and Brazil-Scotland, an attendance of over 62,000 is somewhat impressive and spares FIFA’s blushes in the context of how many empty seats there were in the first half.
—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 June 2026
The members of the Los Angeles indie-pop trio Muna, who are all in their early 30s, are the youngest headliners who will perform at the venue this year.
—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 June 2026
Among the headliners, Davis native and 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Nyjah Huston will compete in the skate street event for the New York club.
—
Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
25 June 2026
But two other World Cup headliners, France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland, refused to let Messi be the only star on display.
—
David K. Li,
NBC news,
23 June 2026
Christina Aguilera, Jill Scott, Seal and Jordan Davis were announced as fellow headliners last month.
—
Alexandra Simon,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
This year’s headliners include Lorde, The Smashing Pumpkins, Olivia Dean and Tate McRae.
—
Crystal Tate,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
The 41-year-old pop star brought the energy to SoFi Stadium on Friday, June 12, as one of the ceremony's headliners, alongside other musical performances from Anitta, Tyla, BLACKPINK's Lisa and more.
—
Klaritza Rico,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
Given this is one of the lower profile group stage matches taking place in Miami, with the headliners being Colombia-Portugal and Brazil-Scotland, an attendance of over 62,000 is somewhat impressive and spares FIFA’s blushes in the context of how many empty seats there were in the first half.
—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headliners
Noun
-
Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Alba, and more stars are stepping out in breezy sandals that maximize airflow without sacrificing style.
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The two music stars have publicly supported each other's projects over the years.
Noun
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The matter simmered until February 24, 1976, when the board, after one of its regular meetings, asked Irving Carroll and Ernest Valenze, the principals of Island Trees’ two high schools, to remove the books from the library shelves.
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The district has already taken steps this year to try and lessen the deficit, including cutting its teaching staff and some assistant principals.
Cite this Entry
“Headliners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headliners. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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