also-ran

[ awl-soh-ran ]

/ ˈɔl soʊˌræn /

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See 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.

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Origin of also-ran

First recorded in 1895–1900

Words nearby also-ran

alsike clover, Alsip, Al Sirat, also, Alsop, also-ran, Alston, alstroemeria, alt, Alta., Alta California

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use also-ran in a sentence

Indeed, some of those troops who ran away from defending Mosul were already American-trained.
Pentagon Insider on New Plan to Fight ISIS: ‘Of Course It’s Not Enough’|Nancy A. Youssef|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And keep in mind that when Huckabee ran for president in 2008, he won the Iowa caucuses.
The Devil in Mike Huckabee|Dean Obeidallah|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The sheriff charged them with truancy, and then he and his officers ran them out of town.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him,” said Lott.
Steve Scalise Shows There’s a Fine Line Between Confederate & Southern|Lloyd Green|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST

EURO was founded by David Duke, the ex-Klansman who ran for Louisiana governor in 1991.
Racists Melt Down Over Steve Scalise|Emily Shire|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Poor Squinty ran and tried to hide under the straw, for he knew the boy was talking about him.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
Nearly half the regiment ran to secure their picketed horses, armed themselves in hot haste, and galloped to the gaol.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Some of those halls that Mr. Meadow Mouse mentioned ran right out beneath the surface of the garden.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
They ran side by side across the yard to a roofed flight of steps that led to the printing-office.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
He was holding his big head high in the air, like a giraffe, and gazing proudly about him as he ran.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl

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

Other 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.

also-ran

Origin of also-ran

Words nearby also-ran

Words related to also-ran

How to use also-ran in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for also-ran

Other Idioms and Phrases with also-ran