Definition of "also-ran" []

• A horse that does not win, place, or show in a race. (noun)
• A loser in a competition, as in an election: "had enough support to place him in the middle of the also-rans” ( George F. Will). (noun)
• One that has little talent or success: just an also-ran in the art world. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Looking back, I predict he will be seen as the President that changed America from being a pioneer to being an also-ran."
• "At this point in the last cycle, candidates like Rudy Giuliani had raised $17 million, while even Democratic also-ran Bill Richardson brought in $7 million."
• "Both parties better start working together real soon or you are about to see what it's like to be reduced to an also-ran country as China passes us by in everything, from technology, to energy-efficiency, to healthcare."