headliner

noun

head·​lin·​er ˈhed-ˌlī-nər 

1

: the principal performer in a show : star

broadly : personality sense 4b

2

: fabric covering the inside of the roof of an automobile

Synonyms

• lead
• principal
• star

Examples of headliner in a Sentence

He was the headliner at a local night club.

a headliner on variety shows in the early days of TV

Recent Examples on the Web

Behind the headliner, Boston could throw in multiple top 10 prospects in order to steal the ace from Miami. —Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025

Crittendon is one headliner of many this season in Colorado high school girls basketball, which is in the middle of a golden age in terms of high-level talent. —Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 12 Mar. 2025

And as the credits rolled, many more opted not to stick around for the post-screening panel, whereas headliners on Friday and Saturday saw more enthusiasm for their Q&As. —Selome Hailu, Variety, 10 Mar. 2025

Michelle Monaghan, one of the stars of this season’s White Lotus, and Severance headliner Adam Scott have joined Robert De Niro in The Whisper Man, a crime thriller from Netflix. —Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for headliner

• airliner
• combiner
• designer
• diviner
• eyeliner
• pulvinar
• recliner
• refiner
• diner
• finer
• liner
• miner