runner-up

[ ruhn-er-uhp ]

noun

, plural run·ners-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

noun

1. a contestant finishing a race or competition in second place

Word History and Origins

Origin of runner-up¹

First recorded in 1835–45