Headliner means: The biggest-name act on a festival lineup, performing in the prime closing slot. By extension, anyone who deserves top billing.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
headliner
The biggest-name act on a festival lineup, performing in the prime closing slot.
Seen in the wild
5 citations · last seen May 2026
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
I would get back into comedy, but if the tragedy + time thing was at all true, I would be a fucking headliner at the Netflix Comedy Festival. Oh well, at least it's not Riyadh.
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BlueskyMay 2026
The venue's opening weekend features a hometown headliner.
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BlueskyMay 2026
I also enjoy how the headshot makes him look like the weekend headliner at Giggles on Route One.
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BlueskyMay 2026
Hard Times Festival 2027 HEADLINER: ● Petula Clark SUPPORT: ● Wye Oak ● Shawn Mendes
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BlueskyMay 2026
Headliner Van Dik Hout? 80% is onder de 25 op Bevrijdingsfestival, arme kinderen.
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Definitions
#1·Apr 26, 2026
The biggest-name act on a festival lineup, performing in the prime closing slot. By extension, anyone who deserves top billing.
Origin: Music industry standard term; entered slang for any "main attraction."
For parents
Headliner means: The biggest-name act on a festival lineup, performing in the prime closing slot. By extension, anyone who deserves top billing.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
headliner means: The biggest-name act on a festival lineup, performing in the prime closing slot. By extension, anyone who deserves top billing.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Cluster: partying
Heard in the wild
“I would get back into comedy, but if the tragedy + time thing was at all true, I would be a fucking headliner at the Netflix Comedy Festival. Oh well, at least it's not Riyadh.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“The venue's opening weekend features a hometown headliner.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“I also enjoy how the headshot makes him look like the weekend headliner at Giggles on Route One.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Hard Times Festival 2027 HEADLINER: ● Petula Clark SUPPORT: ● Wye Oak ● Shawn Mendes”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Headliner Van Dik Hout? 80% is onder de 25 op Bevrijdingsfestival, arme kinderen.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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#3·May 2, 2026
The headlining band or performer at a concert or similar event; the best-known and first billed musician, comedian, etc., often performing as the final act of the evening.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Show 1 more dictionary-style sense (imported)
#2·May 2, 2026
The interior fabric covering the ceiling-like area inside of a vehicle.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Other words near "headliner" (H)
headfuckeryhead girlheadishHeadless Horsemanheadlightheadlight fluidheadmanheadmasterheadmastershipheadmistressheadquarterhead rag
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