play second fiddle

phrase

: to take a subordinate position

Examples of play second fiddle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The rebellion was famously orchestrated by Wat Tyler (Cosmo Jarvis), but in this film the leader plays second fiddle to an anonymous farmer known only as Ploughman (Andrew Garfield). — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026

In the first five years of its run, SNF played second fiddle to Fox’s American Idol. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Though this had been her big break in Nashville, Parton was feeling confined by playing second fiddle to Wagoner, who, as her producer, often took control of the musical arrangements of her songs. — Stephanie Vander Wel, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026

Dembele played second fiddle to Mbappe and yet still scored six goals, placing him joint-fifth on the Golden Boot list with a total that would have won him the award in six of the past eight tournaments. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 21 July 2026

Rhymes for play second fiddle

• diddle
• griddle
• middle
• riddle