also-ran

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Seeded as an also-ran at No. 23, she upset Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova before falling in a tight three-set match to Amanda Anisimova.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026

Even classical music listeners have their version in what may be the most legendary rivalry of all — the one that also-ran Italian composer Antonio Salieri supposedly nursed with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

From Salon • May 16, 2026

Intel has gone from a chip also-ran to a legitimate player in the AI computing boom.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

Anthropic once appeared as an also-ran in the chaotic race for AI supremacy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

Sparkle has been able to see the real me, the one I am when I'm not just Teal's brother, the also-ran, the slightly washed-out twin.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon