Meaning & use
runners-up
Last updated
“runners-up” is a form of “runner-up”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
the people or teams that finish in second place in a competition
Grammar: Plural form of 'runner-up'; it takes a plural verb: the runners-up were...
Patterns
- the runners-up in something
- finish as runners-up
The runners-up received silver medals and a cash prize.
They finished as runners-up in the national championship last year.
Both runners-up were praised for their excellent performances.
Word forms
| singular | runner-up |
|---|
Common combinations
- finish as runners-up
- Our team finished as runners-up in the tournament.
- the runners-up in a competition
- The runners-up in the competition will also perform at the festival.
- runners-up medal
- She proudly showed off her runners-up medal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- second place
- Refers to the position rather than the people; 'the runners-up' means the people themselves.
Opposites
Word family
- runner-up noun
- Singular form: a person or team that finishes second.
Commonly confused: runners-up or runner-ups?
runners-up vs runner-ups
This is a common mistake; the correct plural is 'runners-up', with the 's' on 'runner'.
Practice
Which sentence uses the plural correctly?
Choose one answer.
The plural is 'runners-up' and it takes a plural verb, so 'were' is correct. Option 0 and 3 use the wrong plural form, and option 1 uses a singular verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “runners-up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.