as in second
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Recent Examples of second fiddle
That statement was viewed with suspicion by many Republicans who see Rubio not willing to play second fiddle to Vance.
—
Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
Playing second fiddle to freshman sensation Jazzy Davidson (10 points) and Dunn (11 points), the senior guard couldn’t imprint her mark in Westwood on Saturday, shooting 1-for-9 from the field.
—Benjamin Royer, Daily News, 4 Jan. 2026
So important, that other goals might play second fiddle.
—Hillary Stalker, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Dec. 2025
Unfortunately, similar to the (albeit heartwarming) tale between a restaurant garbage boy and Remy the rat, O’Connor — much like Linguini — was stuck playing second fiddle tonight on SNL, puppeted to and fro from sketch to sketch that sidelined his comedic talents.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for second fiddle
Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
Playing second fiddle to freshman sensation Jazzy Davidson (10 points) and Dunn (11 points), the senior guard couldn’t imprint her mark in Westwood on Saturday, shooting 1-for-9 from the field.
—Benjamin Royer, Daily News, 4 Jan. 2026
So important, that other goals might play second fiddle.
—Hillary Stalker, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Dec. 2025
Unfortunately, similar to the (albeit heartwarming) tale between a restaurant garbage boy and Remy the rat, O’Connor — much like Linguini — was stuck playing second fiddle tonight on SNL, puppeted to and fro from sketch to sketch that sidelined his comedic talents.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for second fiddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for second fiddle
Noun
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The Wildcats began applying more defensive pressure in the second quarter, forcing two turnovers against UConn through the first 90 seconds after the Huskies gave up two in the entire opening quarter.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
10 Mar. 2026
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Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 35 points on 13-of-17 shooting, 12 rebounds and seven assists before fouling out in the final seconds.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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On October 14, the Bureau sent the assistant attorney general an eight-paragraph précis of the poet’s life, work, and political leanings.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
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Eberflus has spent 17 seasons in the NFL as a head coach and defensive assistant, having spent last season as the DC for the Cowboys.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Martinez remains in cuffs and on the ground, unmoving, for about a minute before paramedics already on the scene of the earlier traffic accident begin to provide medical aid.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
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After cutting direct military aid to Ukraine last year, Washington even reached out to Kyiv for its expertise in countering Iranian drones, which Russia uses to attack it.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The aide told him to take it up with the chief.—
Alene Tchekmedyian,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
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The Stanford paper showed employment for young professionals grew faster than for older workers in roles including nursing aides, psychiatric aides and home-health aides.—
Conor Sen,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Nicole Crosby, a deputy city attorney who lives in Clairemont, said bike lanes don’t make a lot of sense in communities like Clairemont where hills and canyons are a major challenge.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
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White House deputy chief of staff James Blair told House Republicans in a closed-door meeting at their retreat Tuesday that their messaging on deportations should focus on efforts to remove criminals from the US, a person familiar with his comments told Semafor (comments first reported by Axios).—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
At the time, there were an estimated 450 greater adjutant storks left in the region.—
Kyla Mandel,
TIME,
20 Feb. 2025
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Since 2019, when Woodward took over as the Gooding adjutant, that totals more than $23,000, according to an accounting obtained by the Statesman from the county clerk through a public records request.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
13 July 2024
Noun
-
Schnurr came to Cincinnati in 2008 as coadjutor archbishop and took over as archbishop about a year later, upon the retirement of former Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk.—
Dan Horn,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
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By 1997, he was named coadjutor archbishop of Buenos Aires, assuming full leadership of the archdiocese the following year.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Second fiddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second%20fiddle. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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