second only to
idiom
: only less important than (something or someone)
Rice is second only to corn as the state's major crop.
Examples of second only to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Of the 286 players with at least 300 plate appearances last season, Edwards’ batting average was second only to Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr., who hit .332.
—
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 14 Mar. 2025
Bosa, a five-time Pro Bowler, exits with 72 career sacks, second only to Leslie O’Neal (105.5), in franchise history.
—Jay Paris, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Connections has gained a massive following since its launch in The New York Times in June 2023 and is second only to Wordle in terms of popularity.
—Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 23 Feb. 2025
The year’s accounts show £256m was spent on new players, though sales reduced the club’s net spend to £190m. That takes Arsenal’s net spend over the last five seasons to £777m— second only to Chelsea (£834m from 2019-23) — though summer 2024 saw a significant fall in activity (net spend: £21m).
—James McNicholas, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for second only to
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.
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 14 Mar. 2025
Bosa, a five-time Pro Bowler, exits with 72 career sacks, second only to Leslie O’Neal (105.5), in franchise history.
—Jay Paris, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Connections has gained a massive following since its launch in The New York Times in June 2023 and is second only to Wordle in terms of popularity.
—Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 23 Feb. 2025
The year’s accounts show £256m was spent on new players, though sales reduced the club’s net spend to £190m. That takes Arsenal’s net spend over the last five seasons to £777m— second only to Chelsea (£834m from 2019-23) — though summer 2024 saw a significant fall in activity (net spend: £21m).
—James McNicholas, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for second only to
Cite this Entry
“Second only to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second%20only%20to. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share