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
Friday’s bill included Baby Keem and Lorde as co-headliners, supported by Japanese Breakfast, Clipse, Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist, Dominic Fike, Blood Orange, The Dare, Arcy Drive, and Audrey Hobert, among others.
—
Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
Previous GoldenSky headliners have included Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, Keith Urban and Ashley McBryde.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 3 June 2026
That historic '22 class famously didn't stick around College Station for very long, as headliners like Walter Nolen and Evan Stewart left for greener pastures, while Fisher was fired just one year after welcoming all those prospects to campus.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026
For Consoletti, however, the larger mission sits beyond the headliners.
—Holly Alvarado, Daily News, 2 June 2026
Last year's festival headliners included Bailey Zimmerman, Jelly Roll, LL COOL J, Maroon 5, Tate McRae, Ed Sheeran, GloRilla, John Fogerty, Mariah Carey, the Offspring, Tim McGraw and more.
—Daniela Avila, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026
Alongside the headliners, over 40 artists from the Kansas City area will perform smaller sets at Fan Fest, which will be held at the National WWI Museum and Memorial.
—Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 2 June 2026
While doing the show, Negri continued to play local clubs and accompany headliners who came through town.
—Tribune News Service, Boston Herald, 1 June 2026
The festival announced its upcoming artist lineup Thursday in an Instagram post, with headliners including Robyn, Swedish House Mafia and Dog Blood — a duo made up of Skrillex and Boys Noize.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026
Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
Previous GoldenSky headliners have included Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, Keith Urban and Ashley McBryde.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 3 June 2026
That historic '22 class famously didn't stick around College Station for very long, as headliners like Walter Nolen and Evan Stewart left for greener pastures, while Fisher was fired just one year after welcoming all those prospects to campus.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026
For Consoletti, however, the larger mission sits beyond the headliners.
—Holly Alvarado, Daily News, 2 June 2026
Last year's festival headliners included Bailey Zimmerman, Jelly Roll, LL COOL J, Maroon 5, Tate McRae, Ed Sheeran, GloRilla, John Fogerty, Mariah Carey, the Offspring, Tim McGraw and more.
—Daniela Avila, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026
Alongside the headliners, over 40 artists from the Kansas City area will perform smaller sets at Fan Fest, which will be held at the National WWI Museum and Memorial.
—Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 2 June 2026
While doing the show, Negri continued to play local clubs and accompany headliners who came through town.
—Tribune News Service, Boston Herald, 1 June 2026
The festival announced its upcoming artist lineup Thursday in an Instagram post, with headliners including Robyn, Swedish House Mafia and Dog Blood — a duo made up of Skrillex and Boys Noize.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headliners
Noun
-
At the time, the former HSMTMTS stars had been broken up for a while, and Bassett moved on with Carpenter.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
5 June 2026
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Statham is one of the world’s most successful action stars, with a global box office surpassing $8 billion across his career with such major franchises as The Meg, Fast & Furious, and The Beekeeper under hie belt.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
4 June 2026
Noun
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Then, on Monday night, the district appeared to do an about-face on its initial directions via an email to principals.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
3 June 2026
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The principals of Midsummer bear more than a passing resemblance to the reality TV casts of the 21st century.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headliners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headliners. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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