What does headliner mean?
A headliner is a person who receives special prominence, either because a newspaper has made the person the subject of its heading or because a performer has been given top billing at a concert, festival, or similar event. In modern entertainment usage, the word often refers to the act expected to attract the largest audience: a festival may list several headliners, although one performer may dominate the schedule and publicity. In journalism, its sense is broader and applies to anyone whose name or actions become the focus of a prominent headline. The term is used in both British and American English and is generally neutral, though promotional contexts sometimes use it to heighten excitement and suggest that a performer is especially important or desirable. It remains a countable noun and takes the regular plural “headliners.”
nounA person who appears in a newspaper headline or is given special prominence in a news story. It can also mean the performer or featured participant who receives top billing at an entertainment event.
- A person or performer who receives top billing and is presented as the main attraction at a concert, festival, tour, or other event.
- A person whose name or actions are given special prominence in a newspaper headline or news story.
"The mystery singer was the festival's biggest headliner, drawing a crowd across the grounds."
"Two international acts will join the festival headliner on its closing night."
"The charity's chief executive became a headliner in the newspaper after the inquiry."
The regular plural takes the ending “-s”; no separate plural form is required.
"Several of the country's best headliners will perform at the annual festival."
Born at the top of the newspaper, “headliner” now more often means the act everyone came to see.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does headliner come from?
The word was formed in early twentieth-century English by adding the suffix “-er” to “headline.” It was first used in a journalistic sense for a person who was prominently mentioned or featured in a newspaper heading. Its entertainment sense developed later, when a performer appearing above other acts in a programme came to be described as the headliner. The related forms “headline,” “headlined,” and “headlining” continue to reflect the same compound and verbal formation.
How headliner is actually used
The word is common in journalism, entertainment publicity, and informal discussion of concerts and festivals. It usually implies prominent billing or publicity but does not necessarily mean that the person is the sole or most accomplished participant.
Easily confused with headliner
A headline is the heading of a newspaper article or similar publication, while a headliner is the person featured in that heading or given top billing elsewhere.