also-ran

noun

Definition of also-rannext
1
as in has-been

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in entrant

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of also-ran The Warriors might be able to keep up with the Timberwolves, Suns, Lakers, or even the Nuggets, but those are also-rans, too. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 22 May 2026 Smalley and Schmid began the day atop the tournament leaderboard and were now ending as also-rans. — Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 18 May 2026 Eric Swalwell’s exit from the race has presented an opportunity for the also-ran candidates to surge into contention. — Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026 The thinktank session was held at the rambling 40-acre Mettawa estate of another presidential also-ran, Adlai Stevenson II. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for also-ran
Recent Examples of Synonyms for also-ran
  1. has-been
  2. entrant
  3. entry
Noun
  • The manuscript Wayne read to us that night chronicled his involvement with Gloria Swanson, the towering star of Hollywood’s Golden Age who enjoyed latter-day acclaim in 1950 playing a delusional has-been in Sunset Boulevard.
    — Mike Hogan, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026
  • That career move quickly fizzled, leaving a sloppy drunk has-been in the debris.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of has-been
Noun
  • The same is true of Jo Malone London, the other recent entrant to the $1 billion club, that the company acquired in 1999.
    — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Over the years, competition has built from new entrants to the luxury hotel market in Como, but its hold on guests might have something to do with the Buchers’ attention to service.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of entrant
Noun
  • Deppert built seats in a barn to accommodate about 100 people and sold tickets for less than the Wolverines charged for entry into Recreation Park.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The songs on Purdy also have the tone of journal entries, detailing haggard trips to the grocery store, daydreams about his young daughters’ glamorous adult lives, and observations about the banality of oppression.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of entry

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also-ran
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Cite this Entry

“Also-ran.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/also-ran. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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