also-ran

[ awl-soh-ran ]

/ ˈɔl soʊˌræn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR also-ran ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Sports.

(in a race) a contestant who fails to win or to place among the first three finishers.
an athlete or team whose performance in competition is rarely, if ever, a winning or near-winning one.

Informal. a person who loses a contest, election, or other competition.

Informal. a person who attains little or no success: For every great artist there are a thousand also-rans.

Content related to also-ran

Why Are Avocados Also Called Alligator Pears?As you munch on guacamole and chips, chew on the etymology of the humble avocado. Its many names are as wacky as the fruit is yummy.

Words related to also-ran

loser, failure, nonstarter

Words nearby also-ran

alsek, alsike, alsike clover, alsip, also, also-ran, alsop, alston, alstroemeria, alström's syndrome, alt

Origin of also-ran

First recorded in 1895–1900

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for also-ran

Rand Paul had the benefit of observing both what made his father likable and popular, and what made him an also-ran.
Rand Paul’s Daddy Issues|Olivia Nuzzi|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ten years ago, Apple began its transformation from an also-ran PC maker to a world-beating tech titan.
Welcome to the Anarchy Economy|Daniel Gross|April 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
For a time he wrote criticism for Mawaqif, a publication founded by the Syrian poet (and perennial Nobel also-ran) Adonis.
Elias Khoury: Profile of the Essential Arab Novelist Today|Jacob Silverman|August 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The FTC has subpoenaed Google in an antitrust case—the kind of probe that turned Microsoft from king of tech to an also-ran.
Google Faces Antitrust Subpoena|Dan Lyons|June 23, 2011|DAILY BEAST

He had made a joke about his movie's status as also-ran to The Hurt Locker.
Party Hopping Before the Oscars|The Daily Beast|March 7, 2010|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for also-ran

also-ran

noun

a contestant, horse, etc, failing to finish among the first three in a race

an unsuccessful person; loser or nonentity

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with also-ran

also-ran

Loser, failure, unsuccessful individual, as in Jane feared that her candidate, a terrible speaker, would end up as an also-ran, or As for getting promotions, Mark counted himself among the also-rans. This term comes from racing, where it describes a horse that finishes in fourth place or lower or does not finish a race at all. It first appeared in the 1890s in published racing results, and has since been transferred to losers in any kind of competition, and also more broadly to persons who simply don't do well.