also-ran

[ awl-soh-ran ]

noun

1. Sports.
   1. (in a race) a contestant who fails to win or to place among the first three finishers.
   2. an athlete or team whose performance in competition is rarely, if ever, a winning or near-winning one.
2. Informal. a person who loses a contest, election, or other competition.
3. Informal. a person who attains little or no success:

   For every great artist there are a thousand also-rans.

also-ran

noun

1. a contestant, horse, etc, failing to finish among the first three in a race
2. an unsuccessful person; loser or nonentity

Word History and Origins

Origin of also-ran¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Idioms and Phrases

Loser, failure, unsuccessful individual, as in Jane feared that her candidate, a terrible speaker, would end up as an also-ran , or As for getting promotions, Mark counted himself among the also-rans . This term comes from racing, where it describes a horse that finishes in fourth place or lower or does not finish a race at all. It first appeared in the 1890s in published racing results, and has since been transferred to losers in any kind of competition, and also more broadly to persons who simply don't do well.

Example Sentences

A clutch fourth quarter that fueled a season-opening win offered hope that this era of the Chargers might be different from the also-ran teams of the past.

From Los Angeles Times

Put it all together, and it appears that Musk doesn’t realize that X needs advertisers more than they need X. The platform was generally an also-ran as an advertising medium online, trailing Meta and Google.

From Los Angeles Times

Texas has been mired in also-ran status for at least the last decade, a period in which it has been supposedly booming.

From Los Angeles Times

In just four years, China has grown from an also-ran to become the world’s largest car exporter, with almost five million cars exported last year.

From New York Times

In her 16 years at the school, Staley has built South Carolina, which was once an also-ran in the tradition-rich Southeastern Conference, into the measuring stick for the women’s game.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• loser