also-ran
Use Also-ran in a sentence
soʊˌræn noun
1.
Sports.
a.
(in a race) a contestant who fails to win or to place among the first three finishers.
b.
an athlete or team whose performance in competition is rarely, if ever, a winning or near-winning one.
2.
Informal. a person who loses a contest, election, or other competition.
3.
Informal. a person who attains little or no success: For every great artist there are a thousand also-rans.
Origin:
1895–1900
1895–1900
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To also-ran
Collins
World English Dictionary
| also-ran | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a contestant, horse, etc, failing to finish among the first three in a race |
| 2. | an unsuccessful person; loser or nonentity |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Also-ran
is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
also-ran
Loser, failure, unsuccessful individual, as in Jane feared that her candidate, a terrible speaker, would end up as an also-ran, or As for getting promotions, Mark counted himself among the also-rans. This term comes from racing, where it describes a horse that finishes in fourth place or lower or does not finish a race at all. It first appeared in the 1890s in published racing results, and has since been transferred to losers in any kind of competition, and also more broadly to persons who simply don't do well.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Seems really unfair to be categorized in the also-ran group.
How an also-ran made a bet on flat-panel televisions as the critical path to being a major player in electronics.
He taught everyone to see the developing world not as an also-ran but as a vortex of innovation and creativity.
The firm was an also-ran in the mergers-and-acquisitions business.
Related Searches
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
