front runner
Americannoun
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a person who leads in any competition.
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an entrant in a race who breaks to the front immediately and establishes the pace for the field.
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an entrant in a race who performs well only when ahead of the field.
Etymology
Origin of front runner
An Americanism dating back to 1935–40
Explanation
In politics, a front-runner is the candidate considered most likely to win an election. If you promise free candy for everyone if you're elected student body president, you may find yourself being the front-runner! The front-runner is in first place, whether in a literal running race or a political contest. Journalists and pollsters primarily decide who is or is not a front-runner, and that number one position usually shifts throughout a presidential election season. The word was originally used in horse racing to describe a horse that runs at its fastest speed while it's in the lead. It first appeared in American politics in 1908, and it has a primarily political meaning today.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Paramount had initially been viewed as a front runner in the deal given the close ties its CEO, David Ellison, and his father, Oracle Corp.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 8, 2025
On BBC Newsnight on Tuesday, he declared Ms Harris the new front runner, noting she had captured fresh "momentum".
From BBC • Aug. 10, 2024
No single problem came anywhere close to reaching a majority among survey respondents, though homelessness/poverty was the clear front runner.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 3, 2024
At 37, the front runner for the role is a year younger than Mr Varadkar was when he took the same job in 2017.
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2024
Twice champion of the USSR, he’d won the 1958 Portorož Interzonal, becoming a front runner to play the incumbent titleholder, Mikhail Botvinnik, for the World Championship in 1960.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
