runner-up
noun
run·ner-up
ˈrə-nər-ˌəp 
ˌrə-nər-ˈəp
plural runners-up
ˈrə-nərz-ˌəp
ˌrə-nərz-ˈəp
also runner-ups
: the competitor that does not win first place in a contest
especially
: one that finishes in second place
Examples of runner-up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The runner-up of Hannah Brown's 2019 season attended Friday night's Reds game at Great American Ball Park, during which the Reds beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-1.
—
The Enquirer, 20 Apr. 2024
The Cal women’s gymnastics team capped the best season in program history with a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.
—Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024
Track and Field: State runner-up, All-state Academics/other: Minnesota Honor Society, Sunday School teacher, Big Sister
College choice: Winona State
Addyson Barrett
School: Chisago Lakes
Athletics: Soccer: All-state, Conference Player of the Year.
—Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2024
The Miami Heat, last year’s Finals runner-up, finished eighth in the standings and will visit the Philadelphia 76ers for the chance to take on the Knicks in round one.
—Sam Joseph and Jacob Lev, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
The Titans’ final-round 282 was six shots better than runner-up Hawaii’s final round.
—Brian Robin, Orange County Register, 5 Apr. 2024
In December that year, McRaven was named as a runner-up for TIME's Person of the Year for his role in the operation.
—Vera Bergengruen, TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
However, 2023 Florida Derby runner-up Mage went on to win the Kentucky Derby at 15/1 odds and secure his spot in racing history.
—Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The new radio champ advances from the runner-up slot on both rankings to rule the lists dated March 30 and gives the rapper, who solely wrote the song, his first No. 1s on any Billboard charts.
—Trevor Anderson, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2024
The Enquirer, 20 Apr. 2024
The Cal women’s gymnastics team capped the best season in program history with a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.
—Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024
Track and Field: State runner-up, All-state Academics/other: Minnesota Honor Society, Sunday School teacher, Big Sister
College choice: Winona State
Addyson Barrett
School: Chisago Lakes
Athletics: Soccer: All-state, Conference Player of the Year.
—Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2024
The Miami Heat, last year’s Finals runner-up, finished eighth in the standings and will visit the Philadelphia 76ers for the chance to take on the Knicks in round one.
—Sam Joseph and Jacob Lev, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
The Titans’ final-round 282 was six shots better than runner-up Hawaii’s final round.
—Brian Robin, Orange County Register, 5 Apr. 2024
In December that year, McRaven was named as a runner-up for TIME's Person of the Year for his role in the operation.
—Vera Bergengruen, TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
However, 2023 Florida Derby runner-up Mage went on to win the Kentucky Derby at 15/1 odds and secure his spot in racing history.
—Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The new radio champ advances from the runner-up slot on both rankings to rule the lists dated March 30 and gives the rapper, who solely wrote the song, his first No. 1s on any Billboard charts.
—Trevor Anderson, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'runner-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near runner-up
Cite this Entry
“Runner-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/runner-up. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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