Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for runner-up. Search instead for runner+up.
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.

Just behind Spain, this generation of England players is tipped to land some silverware, having finished runners-up at the past two Euros.

From BBC

His first year was promising: Marseille finished as runners-up and returned to the Champions League.

From BBC

"In my day, the best runners-up went straight to the World Cup. Now the rules have changed," he said.

From BBC

A four-time player, Season 23 runner-up and 2015 Survivor Hall of Fame inductee, Coach is one of the show’s most legendary figures.

From Los Angeles Times

A year earlier Scheffler won at Bay Hill, the Players and added a runner-up finish in Houston.

From BBC

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.