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
As a new year approached, on a day that should be remembered second only to Independence Day, Washington fulfilled his destiny, not as an American Cromwell, but as the American Cincinnatus.
—
Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
Bridgerton has had a ball with more than 300M views over the past two years (including Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story), putting it second only to Squid Game.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 23 July 2025
In 2024, JetBlue accounted for 6.4 million passengers at the airport, second only to Spirit and about 19% of all travelers there.
—Miami Herald, 23 July 2025
By this metric, mathematics is one of the most deeply affected subjects, second only to physics, which has seen an 85 percent reduction.
—Emma R. Hasson, Scientific American, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for second only to
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Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
Bridgerton has had a ball with more than 300M views over the past two years (including Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story), putting it second only to Squid Game.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 23 July 2025
In 2024, JetBlue accounted for 6.4 million passengers at the airport, second only to Spirit and about 19% of all travelers there.
—Miami Herald, 23 July 2025
By this metric, mathematics is one of the most deeply affected subjects, second only to physics, which has seen an 85 percent reduction.
—Emma R. Hasson, Scientific American, 18 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 4 Aug. 2025.
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