second only to
idiom
: only less important than (something or someone)
Rice is second only to corn as the state's major crop.
Examples of second only to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Red Sox entered Sunday with the best record in the American League, second only to the Milwaukee Brewers in all of MLB, since June 7.
—
Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 25 Aug. 2025
Hilton performed best with boomers, second only to Porter, but Bianco drew stronger overall support among registered Republicans.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
There would still be 38 total seats in the Texas delegation under the new maps — leaving it second only to California's 52 seats.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 31 July 2025
Across the state in 2024, Surprise's population growth was second only to Phoenix.
—Reia Li, AZCentral.com, 30 July 2025
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Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 25 Aug. 2025
Hilton performed best with boomers, second only to Porter, but Bianco drew stronger overall support among registered Republicans.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
There would still be 38 total seats in the Texas delegation under the new maps — leaving it second only to California's 52 seats.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 31 July 2025
Across the state in 2024, Surprise's population growth was second only to Phoenix.
—Reia Li, AZCentral.com, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for second only to
Cite this Entry
“Second only to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second%20only%20to. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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