runner-up
Americannoun
plural
runners-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.
noun
Etymology
Origin of runner-up
First recorded in 1835–45
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.
"In my day, the best runners-up went straight to the World Cup. Now the rules have changed," he said.
From BBC
A four-time player, Season 23 runner-up and 2015 Survivor Hall of Fame inductee, Coach is one of the show’s most legendary figures.
From Los Angeles Times
A year earlier Scheffler won at Bay Hill, the Players and added a runner-up finish in Houston.
From BBC
On the back of a Prem Rugby Cup win and seven wins in their last eight Prem games, last year's runners-up are rolling impressively.
From BBC
"I was attacking the golf course versus playing defensive," said the American, who has twice finished runner-up at the PGA Tour's flagship tournament.
From BBC
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.
