runner-up

[ ruhn-er-uhp ]
/ ˈrʌn ərˈʌp /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR runner-up ON THESAURUS.COM

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. 2020

Words related to runner-up

double, supporting, lower, extra, twin, duplicate, place, inferior, reproduction, following, further, alternative, repeated, secondary, succeeding, proponent, exponent, helper, assistant, backer

Example sentences 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