front-runner

noun

front-run·​ner ˈfrənt-ˌrə-nər How to pronounce front-runner (audio)
1
: a contestant who runs best when in the lead
2
: a leading contestant in or as if in a rivalry or competition
a political front-runner

Examples of front-runner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
As for top premium ticket prices, the starry Other Desert Cities tops the list at $799, a big $200 more than the usual front-runner Hamilton. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026 The front-runners in the French presidential election in the spring are from the populist far right and far left. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026 Spiro is one of the likely front-runners for best new artist. — Paul Grein, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2026 With both teams emerging as the front-runners for the conference title, FIU finds itself in third, facing an uphill battle to close the gap and keep its championship hopes alive. — Alejandro Hernandez, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for front-runner

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of front-runner was in 1896

Rhymes for front-runner

See All Rhymes for front-runner

Browse Nearby Words

front room
front-runner
front sight
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Front-runner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/front-runner. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All