How to Use also-ran in a Sentence

also-ran

noun
  • This is a choice that will confront others among the also-rans at some point, as well.
    — The Editors, National Review, 28 Aug. 2023
  • The idea is not to fill the Kentucky Derby gate with also-rans.
    — Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
  • And to think at least two of them will be postseason also-rans in 2023.
    — Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2023
  • Depending on the week, the Phils have looked like the best team in baseball or a complete also-ran.
    — Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
  • Women athletes for decades have mostly been also-rans in the sports marketplace.
    — Joel Mathis, theweek, 22 Mar. 2024
  • Or a two-time presidential also-ran looking for a soft landing?
    — Michael R. Blood, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025
  • That's because the choicest ones get snatched up early, leaving only the straggly also-rans.
    — Felix Salmon, Axios, 10 Dec. 2024
  • But the tragedy of each also-ran still merited rigorous coverage.
    — Harper's Magazine, 2 July 2024
  • Right now is when fans of also-rans start to look for anything that could possibly carry momentum into the winter.
    — Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
  • Listen to the podcast in full, and hear more of our favorites and also-rans from Venice and Telluride, below.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
  • One of these also-rans was Pete Kreis, who first competed in the race in 1925.
    — Mark Yost, WSJ, 25 May 2023
  • Lower Decks comes in, introducing us to the also-rans for whom the bridge is undiscovered country.
    — Chris McMullen, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026
  • My shoes were still in the window at Burch’s, at the center of the display, with clogs around them on lower platforms, also-rans to my winner.
    — Rachel Kushner, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2025
  • Firstly, the choicest specimens get snatched up early, leaving only the straggly also-rans.
    — Felix Salmon, Axios, 6 Dec. 2024
  • That could change when new episodes premiere on Netflix, which, time and again, has proven its ability to turn other platforms’ also-rans into hits.
    — Vulture, 26 Jan. 2024
  • Straight country and hip-hop tend to be also-rans when voters are casting ballots in these top four categories, which covers most of the other outside-chancers.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Oct. 2024
  • The past master of the universe is an economic colossus but, strategically, its civilization is an also-ran.
    — Josef Joffe, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
  • There was no lack of desire to start stockpiling future assets amid a season in which the Leafs have unexpectedly gone from a contender to an also-ran.
    — Chris Johnston, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Red Bull Salzburg have gone from perennial champions to relative also-rans in Austria.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 13 June 2025
  • Yet almost two weeks after voters went to the polls, the country of 240 million finds itself on the brink of being governed by a coalition of the also-rans.
    — Hasan Ali, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Feb. 2024
  • The rules of the 2024 nominating contest are not meant to encourage also-rans from sticking around to pick up a delegate here or there.
    — TIME, 16 Jan. 2024
  • Nike, for its part, was a running-shoe powerhouse but basketball also-ran, ranking third in market share behind Converse and arguably dead last in terms of street cred.
    — Vulture, 15 May 2023
  • Injuries have taken their toll, but even tied for the division, the Chargers still seem capped as AFC West also-rans.
    — J.j. Bailey, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Google’s cloud business, once an also-ran, is growing steadily, thanks in part to the global rush to develop AI services and demand for compute.
    — Mark Bergen, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2025
  • John Poulakidas scored 28 points to lead the Mavericks in a meeting of also-rans that more closely resembled a summer league game.
    — ABC News, 12 Apr. 2026
  • John Poulakidas scored 28 points to lead the Mavericks in a meeting of also-rans that more closely resembled a summer league game.
    — CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
  • After Petersen, Iacocca and Welch, the rest were also-rans, the poll indicated.
    — Detroit Free Press, 26 Apr. 2024
  • Josh Young placed fifth with 2,420 votes and Sheyvette Dinkens rounded out the list of also-rans with 2,325 votes.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2025
  • His wealth has transformed the fortunes of City, taking the club from an also-ran in the English Premier League to a dominant force.
    — Pan Pylas, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024
  • And on that question, the gap between the companies that control their own silicon and software and the companies that lease it is the gap that will separate the winners from the also-rans.
    — Sarwant Singh, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'also-ran.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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