runner-up
[ ruhn-er-uhp ]
/ ˈrʌn ərˈʌp /
noun, plural run·ners-up.
the competitor, player, or team finishing in second place, as in a race, contest, or tournament.
runners-up, the competitors who do not win a contest but who place ahead of the majority of the contestants and share in prizes or honors, as those who place second, third, and fourth, or in the top ten.
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Origin of runner-up
First recorded in 1835–45
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for runner-up
British Dictionary definitions for runner-up
runner-up
noun plural runners-up
a contestant finishing a race or competition in second place
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
Word Origin and History for runner-up
runner-up
1842, originally in dog racing, "dog that loses only the final race;" see runner + up. General sense is from 1885.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper