To save this word, you'll need to log in.
Definition of also-ran
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
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
Semantic Drift Quiz
- Which of the following was once a synonym for fun?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share also-ran
Time Traveler for also-ran
The first known use of also-ran was in 1895
See more words from the same year