a poor second/third/fourth
idiom
—used to say that someone's particular finish in a race or contest was a long way behind the winner
He came in a poor second in the race.
She was a poor third in the tournament.
Examples of a poor second/third/fourth in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Nike posted a poor fourth quarter, as sales dropped 12%, net income plunged 86% and profit margins dwindled.
—
Gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC, 27 June 2025
Among the regulars, only Cronenworth was relatively healthy throughout the season, but a fast start to a rebound from 2023 (.689 OPS) gave way to a poor second half (.650 OPS).
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025
Even in Saturday’s game, Reichel’s terrific first period was offset by a poor second period (granted, the entire team had a poor second period, getting outshot 17-3 and coughing up a 3-1 lead before Jones scored late in the period to salvage it).
—Mark Lazerus, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025
Sunday’s result put the R.N. in a poor third place, behind the New Popular Front (N.F.P.) coalition of the left and the surprisingly scrappy centrist party of President Emmanuel Macron.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 9 July 2024
The common theme during most of those seasons was a poor second half.
—Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2024
After a poor third quarter offensively, Purdy kept the 49ers in the game.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024
But the Hawks were by far the better team in this series, with only a poor second half of Game 2 keeping them from a sweep.
—Brian Mahoney, ajc, 3 June 2021
But Harvick had a poor third round of the playoffs and his season collapsed.
—Jenna Fryer, orlandosentinel.com, 6 Nov. 2020
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Gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC, 27 June 2025
Among the regulars, only Cronenworth was relatively healthy throughout the season, but a fast start to a rebound from 2023 (.689 OPS) gave way to a poor second half (.650 OPS).
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025
Even in Saturday’s game, Reichel’s terrific first period was offset by a poor second period (granted, the entire team had a poor second period, getting outshot 17-3 and coughing up a 3-1 lead before Jones scored late in the period to salvage it).
—Mark Lazerus, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025
Sunday’s result put the R.N. in a poor third place, behind the New Popular Front (N.F.P.) coalition of the left and the surprisingly scrappy centrist party of President Emmanuel Macron.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 9 July 2024
The common theme during most of those seasons was a poor second half.
—Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2024
After a poor third quarter offensively, Purdy kept the 49ers in the game.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024
But the Hawks were by far the better team in this series, with only a poor second half of Game 2 keeping them from a sweep.
—Brian Mahoney, ajc, 3 June 2021
But Harvick had a poor third round of the playoffs and his season collapsed.
—Jenna Fryer, orlandosentinel.com, 6 Nov. 2020
Cite this Entry
“A poor second/third/fourth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20poor%20second%2Fthird%2Ffourth. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
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