front runner

American  

Or front-runner,

noun

1. a person who leads in any competition.

2. an entrant in a race who breaks to the front immediately and establishes the pace for the field.

3. 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

Example Sentences

Paramount had initially been viewed as a front runner in the deal given the close ties Ellison and his father, Oracle Corp.

From MarketWatch

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

The current front runner, though, is 72-year-old Salvador Nasralla, who is running for president for the fourth time.

From BBC

But scrutiny of his life, in books and film, highlights how unconventional he was—a point reinforced in Brendan O’Meara’s well-crafted “The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“The Front Runner” depicts Prefontaine as smug but sensitive, and it keeps a narrow focus on his immediate sports circle.

From The Wall Street Journal