headline

headline — noun

1. the large text placed above a newspaper or online news article that tells reader

1.nounB1
Definition

the large text placed above a newspaper or online news article that tells readers what the piece is about, or the main news items that open a television or radio news broadcast.

Example

Iris saw her own name in the headline above the front-page story.

collocation: [person/name] in the headline above [article]

The evening news began with a headline about the earthquake in Taiwan.

collocation: begin with a headline about [topic]

Common collocations
  • front-page headline
  • newspaper headline
  • make headlines
  • grab the headlines
  • hit the headlines
Synonyms
  • title

    the general name of any creative work or article; broader than 'headline'

  • heading

    used for sections within a document, not just news

  • banner

    a very large headline that stretches across the full width of a newspaper page

Grammar Patterns

headline + of + article / story

Common Mistakes

What is the headline of your essay?
What is the title of your essay?
'headline' is only used for news articles or broadcasts, not for general documents or essays.
She wrote a headline for each chapter.
She wrote a heading for each chapter.
Sections inside a document use 'heading', not 'headline'.
Idioms

grab/hit/make the headlines

idiom

To become a major news story that many people see or hear about.

The scientist's discovery grabbed the headlines worldwide.

Did the local festival make the headlines last night?

headline — verb

headline — adjective

Word family

  • headliner
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words refer to text that identifies or introduces a piece of writing, but they are not interchangeable. 'Title' is the broadest term — it names any creative work, including books, films, songs, and articles (e.g. 'the title of the novel was Autumn Leaves'). 'Heading' labels sections within a document, such as chapters or paragraphs, and is common in reports, essays, and web content ('the heading on page three read "Methodology"'). 'Headline' is specific to news: it is a short, large-type phrase above a newspaper or online article designed to grab attention. A 'banner' is a type of headline that runs across the full width of a front page. Use 'headline' only for journalism; use 'title' for creative works; use 'heading' for internal document sections.

title ↗heading ↗banner ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • hit the headlines
  • make headlines
  • grab the headlines
  • dominate the headlines

Etymology

English

Formed by combining 'head' (the top part) and 'line' (a row of printed text). The word first appeared in the late 1600s to describe a printer's line at the top of a page indicating the subject. By the mid-1800s it had taken on its modern meaning — the large-type title of a newspaper story, designed to catch the reader's eye.