headliner
C1General, with strong ties to media, journalism, and entertainment.
Definition
Meaning
The main performer or most prominent act in an entertainment event such as a concert or festival.
A prominent story or feature on the front page of a newspaper; or more broadly, any leading figure in a particular context.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primary sense is performer-centric; secondary sense (news) is metaphorical extension, now less common but still understood.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning. US usage heavily favours the entertainment sense. In UK, the newspaper sense might be slightly more recognized historically.
Connotations
Positively connoted; implies success, popularity, and top billing.
Frequency
More frequent in US English, particularly in pop culture contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[the/our/this year's] headliner + [of/for/at] + [festival/concert/show]to be (announced as) the headlinerto headline (verb) a festival/concertVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “To be the headliner”
- “To share top billing (with someone)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used metaphorically for a keynote speaker or the main product launch at a conference.
Academic
Rare; if used, in media studies discussing festival culture or journalism.
Everyday
Common when discussing music festivals, comedy tours, or major concerts.
Technical
Specific to event management, music industry, and journalism.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The legendary band will headliner the Glastonbury Festival next year.
- She is headlining the West End run for six months.
American English
- Taylor Swift is headlining the Super Bowl halftime show.
- Who's headlining Coachella this season?
adverb
British English
- (Not a standard adverbial form; 'headlining' used as participle adjective.)
American English
- (Not a standard adverbial form.)
adjective
British English
- The headliner slot was given to a rising indie band.
- He secured a headliner position at the Edinburgh Fringe.
American English
- The headliner act went on stage at 9 PM sharp.
- It's a headliner event, so tickets are expensive.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The headliner sang many songs.
- We saw the headliner at the festival.
- The main headliner for the concert was a famous pop singer.
- The newspaper's headliner was about the big storm.
- Despite the rain, the festival's headliner delivered an unforgettable performance.
- Organisers struggled to secure a big-name headliner for the event's final night.
- Critics argued that the choice of headliner reflected the festival's shift towards commercialism.
- The tabloid's sensational headliner overshadowed more important political news on the inside pages.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
HEAD of the LINE: the headliner is the act at the head (top) of the lineup (list of performers).
Conceptual Metaphor
PEOPLE ARE PRODUCTS (in entertainment); NEWS IS A COMMODITY (in journalism).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque 'головной лайнер' – it's nonsensical.
- For news: 'заголовок' is the headline itself, not the headliner story.
- For performer: use 'главное лицо' (contextually), 'звезда', 'главный исполнитель'.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing 'headliner' with 'headline' (noun) – a headliner makes headlines.
- Using it for any performer, not specifically the top-billed one.
- Overusing the newspaper sense in modern entertainment contexts.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'headliner' LEAST likely to be used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it can be used for any main performer, including comedians, dancers, theatre actors, or keynote speakers at conferences.
A 'headliner' is a person or act (the main performer). A 'headline' is the title of a news article or, as a verb, to be the main performer ('to headline').
Yes, festivals often have multiple 'headliners' playing on different days or 'co-headliners' sharing top billing on the same night.
Not obsolete, but it is less common in everyday language today than the entertainment sense. It is still understood, especially in journalism contexts.