in the running

1. Entered as a competitor in a contest. For example, Is Mary in the running for this election? The antonym, out of the running , means “not entered as a competitor,” as in Ian is out of the running for the job now that he's living in another state . [Mid-1800s]

2. Having a chance to win, as in Mary's still in the running for the promotion . Again, out of the running means the opposite, as in He's too old—he's out of the running . [Mid-1800s] Both usages allude to the entry and chances of a horse in a race.

Example Sentences

Suddenly, Elordi was in the running for a role he’d longed for when he first heard about it.

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His ire is part of a war raging in the running community.

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The Prince of Wales has described those in the running for his environmental Earthshot prize as "heroes of our time".

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Each one of the 73 birds in the running this year had a volunteer campaign manager, who sought to win over voters with memes, reels and hand-drawn posters.

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Also in the running was the kākāpō, the world's fattest parrot which has won Bird of the Year twice and had to be removed from the contest in 2022 to give other birds a chance to win.

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Related Words

• acceptable 
• likely 
• qualified 
• suitable