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.—
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Pan PylasExamples of also-ran in a Sentence
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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
Instead, he feels treated as an also-ran in St. Paul’s five-way mayor’s race, which culminates with the Nov. 4 election.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
Justine Lupe was kind of an also-ran in the personality Olympics that was Succession.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
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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
Instead, he feels treated as an also-ran in St. Paul’s five-way mayor’s race, which culminates with the Nov. 4 election.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
Justine Lupe was kind of an also-ran in the personality Olympics that was Succession.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 10 Oct. 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 7 Nov. 2025.
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