runner-up

noun

run·​ner-up ˈrə-nər-ˌəp 

ˌrə-nər-ˈəp

plural runners-up ˈrə-nərz-ˌəp 

ˌrə-nərz-ˈəp

also runner-ups

: the competitor that does not win first place in a contest

especially : one that finishes in second place

Examples of runner-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With a 4-0 record in pool play, Italy secured the top seed and will face the runner-up in Pool A, Puerto Rico, on Saturday. —Zack Meisel, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026

Air Force commit Joey Favia, a senior 285-pounder and state runner-up at heavyweight, praised Garcia for remaining focused but also having time for his teammates. —Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026

In that scenario, Team USA would be the runner-up in Pool B and advance with Italy to the quarterfinal round. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026

Alajuelense returned the favor, beating LAFC 2-1 at BMO Stadium a week later, but that wasn’t enough to prevent the Black & Gold from continuing on the road to finishing runners-up to León. —Josh Gross, Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for runner-up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup

Kids Definition

runner-up

noun

run·​ner-up

ˈrən-ə-ˌrəp

plural runners-up

: the competitor in a contest who finishes next to the winner