How to Use also-ran in a Sentence
also-ran
noun-
And to think at least two of them will be postseason also-rans in 2023.
—Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2023
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This is a choice that will confront others among the also-rans at some point, as well.
—The Editors, National Review, 28 Aug. 2023
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One of these also-rans was Pete Kreis, who first competed in the race in 1925.
—Mark Yost, WSJ, 25 May 2023
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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
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At a forum like the P.G.A. Championship, those travails separate the elite from the crowd of also-rans that will be thick since the field includes 156 players.
—Alan Blinder, New York Times, 16 May 2023
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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
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Women athletes for decades have mostly been also-rans in the sports marketplace.
—Joel Mathis, theweek, 22 Mar. 2024
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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
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That leaves Google — long an also-ran in the U.S. smartphone market — with an opportunity.
—Chris Velazco, Washington Post, 10 May 2023
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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
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After Petersen, Iacocca and Welch, the rest were also-rans, the poll indicated.
—Detroit Free Press, 26 Apr. 2024
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Haas, in other words, is Formula 1’s basement dweller; their aspirations each year are not to vie for a title but to best fellow also-rans like Williams and Alpine.
—Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024
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After years of wallowing in also-ran status, the Lions had a magical season that put them on the brink of their first Super Bowl appearance.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 31 Jan. 2024
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Games were starting to become more popular, but they were powered by CPUs, central processing units, and then graphics were kind of like an also-ran.
—Lauren Goode, WIRED, 29 Feb. 2024
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But the tragedy of each also-ran still merited rigorous coverage.
—John Ganz, Harper's Magazine, 22 May 2024
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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
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But if players such as Smith and Johnson are unable to recreate their past magic sooner than later, the league’s prospects could diminish into a circuit of also-rans.
—Alan Blinder, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Apr. 2023
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It could be argued that what the Globes really do is bring clarity to the awards race, separating the true contenders from the also-rans and helping studios decide where to focus their campaigns.
—Todd Longwell, Variety, 21 Dec. 2023
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Typically, ‘tweener products are seen as also-rans, or at most, uninspired copies of an original idea.
—Kevin Koenig, Robb Report, 17 Jan. 2024
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Where Steil adds unusual value, however, is in documenting the breadth of the damage this also-ran wrought upon our polity.
—Heather Wilhelm, National Review, 22 Feb. 2024
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DeSantis, by comparison, earns support from 17 percent of voters—with a bevy of also-rans also running in the low single digits.
—Grace Segers, The New Republic, 31 July 2023
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The talent gulf is readily evident on defense, where Donald and linebacker Ernest Jones will be surrounded by a starting crew of afterthoughts and also-rans.
—Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 6 June 2023
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Even in the best of times, Twitter was an also-ran in the digital ad space compared to tech giants like Meta and Google, with a smaller user base and less sophisticated ad targeting technology.
—Clare Duffy, CNN, 17 May 2023
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These two postseason also-rans are playing for nothing but personal pride and multiple roster spots next season.
—The Arizona Republic, 1 Jan. 2024
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Somehow, the weird, wacky also-ran had ballooned into the most surefire awards juggernaut in recent memory — every award everywhere all at once! — a trajectory that echoes the drama of the movie itself.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2023
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There are plenty of also-rans and similar solutions in the space; just today, Bowers & Wilkins announced its own wireless multiroom audio feature.
—Chris Welch, The Verge, 11 Oct. 2023
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My deep personal passion for Apple TV+ aside (accused by some of being an also-ran in the streaming wars), the company is a boring, thoroughly forgettable version of its former self.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 May 2024
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The also-rans are organizing protests alongside their legal objections.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 21 Mar. 2024
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Acting in a comedy about the entertainment industry’s has-beens, also-rans and never-wills resonated with the cast, sometimes uncomfortably.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2023
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Then, in 2018, Limerick began its improbable transition from also-ran to dynasty.
—David Segal Paulo Nunes Dos Santos, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2023
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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