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 state of Louisiana has one of the country's biggest immigrant detention populations, second only to Texas, and the New Orleans field office manages all nine detention facilities in the state.
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Arkansas Online, 1 Jan. 2026
The researchers are second only to Google in demonstrating this, but beat the tech major on the efficiency and practicality of their solution.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 26 Dec. 2025
Northern elephant seals are the second-largest seals in the world, second only to their relative, the southern elephant seal.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 25 Dec. 2025
As Christians celebrate one of the most important holidays of their faith, second only to Easter, some may have the issue of immigration on their minds for more than one reason.
—Miami Herald, 25 Dec. 2025
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Arkansas Online, 1 Jan. 2026
The researchers are second only to Google in demonstrating this, but beat the tech major on the efficiency and practicality of their solution.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 26 Dec. 2025
Northern elephant seals are the second-largest seals in the world, second only to their relative, the southern elephant seal.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 25 Dec. 2025
As Christians celebrate one of the most important holidays of their faith, second only to Easter, some may have the issue of immigration on their minds for more than one reason.
—Miami Herald, 25 Dec. 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 Jan. 2026.
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