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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.

The 20-year-old broke the deadlock after 21 minutes and struck again eight minutes later to condemn the former Confederation Cup runners-up to a second loss within eight days.

From Barron's

Evans had arrived in Jeddah leading the standings by three points, but his hopes of finally ascending to the WRC throne after finishing runner-up four times were scuppered by a costly puncture on Friday.

From Barron's

Sundowns, runners-up last season, scored twice in the second half to collect maximum Group C points with Chilean Marcelo Allende the other scorer.

From Barron's

The former Wimbledon runner-up converted his third break point for a 5-3 lead before confidently serving out the opener to love.

From BBC

The former Wimbledon runner-up, ranked 56th in the world, served his way to the opening set following an early break and then broke immediately in set two after Collignon double-faulted twice.

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.