How to Use next to last in a Sentence

next to last

phrase
  • But her funds’ lackluster showing this year pales next to last year’s surge.
    New York Times, 22 Aug. 2021
  • Lynchburg is three and a half hours from Washington, so this would be our next to last stop.
    People Staff, Peoplemag, 24 Oct. 2022
  • June Gloom was fast out of the gate but couldn’t get the lead and ran third down the backstretch before fading to next to last in the homestretch.
    John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2021
  • Season five, which will be the next to last for the series, premieres with two episodes Wednesday on Hulu.
    Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Sep. 2022
  • New Mexico ranked 130th (next to last, for those who are counting) in third-down conversions.
    Scooby Axson, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2022
  • The smoother screen experience is noticeable next to last year’s iPhone 12 Pro Max.
    Chris Smith, BGR, 21 Sep. 2021
  • Michigan finished 2-4 last season, next to last in the Big Ten East, and was picked by media members to finish fourth this year.
    Randy Johnson, Star Tribune, 22 July 2021
  • With 11 teens, 10 of them women, the team was rich with promise but shallower in experience, which may have showed in the new mixed relay event on the next to last day of racing in the fifth place finish.
    Alice Park/tokyo, Time, 1 Aug. 2021
  • Ohio ranks last in vaccinating vulnerable elderly people against influenza and next to last for vaccinating all adults, among five other Midwestern states.
    cleveland, 11 Mar. 2022
  • Despite the talents of all-world center Tyler Linderbaum, the Hawkeyes were next to last in the conference in total offense, rarely scared defenses with their passing attack and averaged a little more than three yards per rush.
    Scooby Axson, USA TODAY, 8 Aug. 2022
  • However, the law is widely ignored by local jurisdictions, which is why the state is next to last in time to get a permit (only New Jersey, another declared EV friendly state, is slower).
    IEEE Spectrum, 4 Dec. 2022
  • Mississippi is next to last but has fewer women (19%) serving in 41 qualifying counties, considerably more than Nebraska.
    Chelsey Cox, USA TODAY, 29 Apr. 2021
  • China has only made one appearance in the international competition, in 2002, and fell at the qualification stage for the last World Cup, finishing next to last in its group.
    James Griffiths, CNN, 21 Apr. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'next to last.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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