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

… taking the club from an also-ran to a dominant force.

—Pan Pylas

Examples of also-ran in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Google’s cloud business, once an also-ran, is growing steadily, thanks in part to the global rush to develop AI services and demand for compute. —Mark Bergen, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2025

Instead of Jones handing over an also-ran to Purdy, the $265 million man goes straight into a postseason stretch run with seven games remaining. —Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2025

Josh Young placed fifth with 2,420 votes and Sheyvette Dinkens rounded out the list of also-rans with 2,325 votes. —Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2025

Injuries have taken their toll, but even tied for the division, the Chargers still seem capped as AFC West also-rans. —J.j. Bailey, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

also-ran

noun

al·​so-ran

-ˌran

1

: a horse or dog that does not finish in the first three places in a race

2

: a contestant that does not win