How to Use front-runner in a Sentence

front-runner

noun
  • The poll found no clear front-runner.
    — Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Right now, polls show a few front-runners.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026
  • Here are our takes on four of the front-runners.
    — Charlie Harding, Vulture, 15 May 2026
  • Weaver is not the betting front-runner for the job.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
  • There are a bunch of solid front-runners to take the pope seat.
    — Raven Smith, Vogue, 7 May 2025
  • And the two front-runners are loading up.
    — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Spiro is one of the likely front-runners for best new artist.
    — Paul Grein, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Polling hasn’t signaled a clear front-runner.
    — Julia Mueller, The Hill, 12 Feb. 2026
  • Jones still seems to be the front-runner to get the Week 1 nod.
    — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • If the front-runner is to be taken down, someone will have to do it.
    — Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2023
  • If healthy, Pocic is the clear front-runner to start at center.
    — Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 17 July 2026
  • The only team to win all three of their group games is a worthy front-runner.
    — The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 28 June 2025
  • Schaefer is the front-runner for the same honor.
    — ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Pickett seems to be the front-runner to be the Week 1 starter.
    — Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
  • Bullard had an up and down rookie year, but looks like the front-runner to win the nickel job.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 27 July 2025
  • He was not considered the front-runner.
    — Noah White, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Kartye enters as the clear front-runner for the fourth and final spot.
    — Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Who becomes a front-runner may come down to who campaigns best during phase two.
    — Emily Longeretta, Variety, 24 July 2026
  • Nashville felt like a front-runner for a bit, but Texas might be gaining.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Ryan Rodriguez looks like the clear front-runner at center.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
  • The front-runner, though, was Lane Kiffin.
    — Noah White, Miami Herald, 30 Nov. 2025
  • Auburn seemed like the front-runner last offseason, but Davis beat him out.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2026
  • The fundraising front-runner is a repeat from last quarter.
    — Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
  • The younger Khamenei was seen as the front-runner for the role and is viewed as a hardliner.
    — Jared Gans, The Hill, 9 Mar. 2026
  • Porter has been regarded as the early front-runner.
    — George Skelton, Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Meryl Davis was the front-runner on the show's 18th season from the get-go.
    — Diana Pearl, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Still, for all the changes the past eight days brought to the race, there isn’t a clear front-runner among the Democrats.
    — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Isaiah Wynn is expected to be the front-runner to start at left guard.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2024
  • The latest voter survey shows no clear front-runner in the contest.
    — Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
  • With the fall film festivals over, is there an Oscar front-runner?
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'front-runner.' 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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