also-ran
noun
al·so-ran
ˈȯl(t)-(ˌ)sō-ˌran 
ˈȯ-
1
: a horse or dog that finishes out of the money in a race
2
: a contestant that does not win
3
: one that is of little importance especially competitively
was just an also-ran in the scramble for … privileges—
C. A. Buss
C. A. BussExamples of also-ran in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sullivan became as synonymous with the Penguins as any of his star players in the past 10 years, even as Pittsburgh became an also-ran, winning just one playoff round since those back-to-back titles.
—Arthur Staple, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Gwendolyn Brooks, Chicago’s Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, wrote of life’s also-rans
Gwendolyn Brooks grew up in a South Side house full of books and was a poet from an early age, eventually becoming the first Black to win a Pulitzer Prize in poetry.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2025
The idea is not to fill the Kentucky Derby gate with also-rans.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
The anticlimactic contest between two West also-rans missing three All-Stars tips off at 7 p.m. PT.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Apr. 2025
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Arthur Staple, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Gwendolyn Brooks, Chicago’s Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, wrote of life’s also-rans
Gwendolyn Brooks grew up in a South Side house full of books and was a poet from an early age, eventually becoming the first Black to win a Pulitzer Prize in poetry.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2025
The idea is not to fill the Kentucky Derby gate with also-rans.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
The anticlimactic contest between two West also-rans missing three All-Stars tips off at 7 p.m. PT.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for also-ran
Cite this Entry
“Also-ran.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/also-ran. Accessed 8 May. 2025.
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