in the running

1. Having a chance to win, as in Mary's still in the running for the promotion . Again, out of the running means the opposite, as in He's too old—he's out of the running . [Mid-1800s] Both usages allude to the entry and chances of a horse in a race.

2. Entered as a competitor in a contest. For example, Is Mary in the running for this election? The antonym, out of the running , means “not entered as a competitor,” as in Ian is out of the running for the job now that he's living in another state . [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

He said Lake County is “in the running for slowest election department worldwide.”

From Los Angeles Times

The 11 acts in the running are:

From BBC

More important, it would keep the Bruins, ranked second in the Bowl Championship Series standings behind Tennessee, in the running to play in the first BCS championship game in the Fiesta Bowl.

From Los Angeles Times

Northern Ireland top C3, which gives them at least a chance, but Scotland are not in the running to get a play-off spot through the Nations League.

From BBC

Lutnick, the chief executive of financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald, had also been in the running for treasury secretary, a more high-profile role.

From BBC

Related Words

• opportunity
• show
• time