also-ran

American  

[awl-soh-ran] / ˈɔl soʊˌræn /

noun

1. Sports.

   1. (in a race) a contestant who fails to win or to place among the first three finishers.

   2. an athlete or team whose performance in competition is rarely, if ever, a winning or near-winning one.

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

3. Informal. a person who attains little or no success.

   For every great artist there are a thousand also-rans.

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also-ran British  

noun

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

2. an unsuccessful person; loser or nonentity

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also-ran Idioms  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of also-ran

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Even classical music listeners have their version in what may be the most legendary rivalry of all — the one that also-ran Italian composer Antonio Salieri supposedly nursed with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

From Salon • May 16, 2026

This week, Paramount is detailing its progress to advertisers, unveiling a slate of new shows and technological improvements it hopes will boost subscribers and ad revenue and lift it out of also-ran status.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

But so many better horror features have been constructed along the same lines—“X,” “House of 1000 Corpses”— that this one comes across as merely a tedious also-ran.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

It became an also-ran and there it remains until now.

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2026

Maybe a part of me loves her because she’s the eternal also-ran, a lot like me.

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak

Related Words

• loser