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Showing results for runner-up. Search instead for runnersup.
Synonyms

runner-up

American  
[ruhn-er-uhp] / ˈrʌn ərˈʌp /

noun

plural

runners-up

  1. the competitor, player, or team finishing in second place, as in a race, contest, or tournament.

  2. 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.

runner-up British  

noun

  1. 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

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.

He also was runner-up in 2019 and 2023, and finished third in 2024 in addition to 2025.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Aiken rose to fame as the earnest, vocally gifted runner-up on “American Idol” circa 2003.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

In Paris, the race is looking tight between leftist Emmanuel Gregoire, a former deputy of outgoing Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo, and his runner-up, right-wing ex-minister Rachida Dati.

From Barron's • Mar. 22, 2026

The last time Verstappen was beaten by a team-mate was at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in April 2023, when Sergio Perez claimed victory and he finished runner-up.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

It was more media attention than Kimberly Lou Dixon had received as the Miss America runner-up, or even as the future star of Mutant Invaders from Jupiter Seven.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

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.