second string

American  

noun

1. Sports. the squad of players available either individually or as a team to replace or relieve those who start a game.

2. a secondary position, status, or group, as in a level of corporate management.

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second string British  

noun

1. an alternative course of action, etc, intended to come into use should the first fail (esp in the phrase a second string to one's bow )

2. a substitute or reserve player or team

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adjective

1. sport

   1. being a substitute player

   2. being the second-ranked player of a team in an individual sport

2. second-rate or inferior

Other Word Forms

• second-string adjective
• second-stringer noun

Etymology

Origin of second string

1635–45 in sense “backup, resort,” alluding to a second bowstring; 1860–65, applied to racehorses; 1950–55, to sports teams

Example Sentences

Uncapped wicketkeeper-batsman Khawaja Nafay is also included in the squad after his impressive show with Pakistan's second string team in the last two years.

From Barron's • Dec. 28, 2025

“I basically played second string at ‘SC,” Ardell said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 3, 2025

But scientists found niobium difficult to engineer as a core qubit component, and so it was relegated to the second string on Team Superconducting Qubit.

From Science Daily • Feb. 26, 2024

Fill in intermittently for the starters or the second string during practice when they need a break.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 12, 2024

After the training camp, his coach said that he was second string and that when he starts learning the system, he will be first string.

From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky