How to Use second only to in a Sentence
second only to
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The actor said at the time that filming the scene was second only to childbirth as the worst day of her life.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
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Air bags are maybe second only to seat belts in terms of crash safety.
—Detroit Free Press, 25 Feb. 2024
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At 61-38, Baltimore has the top record in the AL and is second only to Atlanta.
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 24 July 2023
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The walkoff win was the Giants’ seventh this season, second only to the Marlins (eight) for the most in the majors.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 28 June 2024
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Burnes has 677 strikeouts over the past three years, second only to the Yankees' Gerrit Cole in that stretch.
—Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2024
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The urge to meet a milestone in the game (the top motivation for 56.8% of players) is second only to the fear of losing them.
—Peggy Anne Salz, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
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Overall, cancer is the No. 2 most common cause of death in the U.S., second only to heart disease.
—Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 1 Nov. 2023
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During these years, your kid’s brain is going through a major growth spurt, second only to the birth to age 3 range.
—Deborah Farmer Kris, CNN, 17 Feb. 2023
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The Globes had long been one of the highest-profile awards season broadcasts, second only to the Oscars.
—Lindsey Bahr, Fortune, 12 Dec. 2023
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Their support for Yoon was second only to that of voters aged 60 and older.
—Se Eun Gong, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
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In the late 1970s, JCPenney was second only to Sears as the country’s largest retailer.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2023
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The country is second only to China in millionaires set to leave its shores this year.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune Europe, 18 June 2024
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John has a brilliant sense of humor, second only to his wife [Emily Blunt].
—Demetrius Patterson, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 July 2023
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That’s one of the smallest monthly gains since the pandemic recovery took off in 2021, second only to June of this year.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 3 Nov. 2023
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While Jackson's absence in the final five weeks of the season left the unit in survival mode, the Ravens still finished second only to the Giants with 33 pass plays of 20-plus yards on the year.
—Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 3 July 2023
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Australia is second only to the United States in the number of attacks, according to the database.
—Matteo Moschella, NBC News, 13 Dec. 2023
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That’s the second-oldest age in four decades of NAR’s data—second only to last year’s 36—and higher than when many baby boomers bought their first homes.
—Bysydney Lake, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2023
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An efficient 23 points — to go with eight rebounds and two assists — was second only to Nick Smith Jr.’s 24-point outing.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 14 July 2024
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For years, Egypt was the second largest recipient of U.S. aid, second only to Israel.
—Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023
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The $208 million dished out by the Giants this winter is second only to the Dodgers’ billion-dollar offseason.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2024
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Hield has made 271 3-pointers this season, which puts him second only to Golden State's Klay Thompson.
—Dustin Dopirak, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Mar. 2023
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Detroit was second only to Dubai in having the worst air quality in the world, with Chicago having the third-worst air quality.
—NBC News, 29 June 2023
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The presence of my column on locker-room bulletin boards is second only to its presence on bathroom floors.
—David Scott, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
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Prostate cancer is second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in American men.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 20 May 2024
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High-caliber coffee grinders Many baristas say a grinder is the second most important part of the coffee-making process, second only to the beans.
—Nick Guy, wsj.com, 26 Sep. 2023
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Florida is second only to Texas in total numbers of wild hogs.
—The Editors, Field & Stream, 9 Jan. 2023
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Detroit went for it on fourth down 40 times in the regular season, second only to the Carolina Panthers.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 29 Jan. 2024
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Woods is the most successful player of the past 25 years with 15 major golf championships — second only to Jack Nicklaus.
—Maxwell Adler, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2024
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Djokovic reached the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam tournament for the 56th time in his career, second only to Roger Federer’s men’s record of 58.
—Chris Lehourites, BostonGlobe.com, 10 July 2023
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Threats to democracy are second only to the economy in the percentage of swing state voters overall who describe the issue as extremely important.
—Scott Clement, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'second only to.' 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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