frontrunner

frontrunner — noun

1. the person, team, or thing that seems most likely to win a competition, election

1.名詞C1
釋義

the person, team, or thing that seems most likely to win a competition, election, or race for a job, prize, or position.

例句

Polls showed Ayesha as the clear frontrunner in the mayoral race two weeks before voting.

frontrunner in [election]

After the semifinals, the Brazilian team became the frontrunner to win the championship.

frontrunner to + verb

同義詞
  • favorite

    more general; covers any preferred choice, not only contests

  • leader

    broader; can mean someone already winning, not just expected to win

  • top contender

    two-word phrase; emphasizes strong chance but not certainty

反義詞
  • underdog

    the one expected to lose, sometimes admired for fighting hard

  • long shot

    informal; someone with a very small chance of winning

文法句型

the frontrunner in/for [contest]

the frontrunner to [verb]

用法筆記

Subject is usually a person, team, party, candidate, or product competing for a top spot; followed by 'in' (a contest), 'for' (a job or prize), or 'to' + verb (an outcome).

常見錯誤

❌She is a frontrunner of the race.
✅She is the frontrunner in the race.
💡use 'in' for the contest, not 'of'.

2. an athlete or racehorse that performs at its peak while running in first place,

2.名詞C2
釋義

an athlete or racehorse that performs at its peak while running in first place, rather than catching up from behind.

例句

The trainer warned that Vinícius was a true frontrunner and would fade if anyone passed him.

frontrunner contrasted with come-from-behind runner

Eitan ran as a classic frontrunner, setting the pace from the first lap of the 5,000 metres.

frontrunner setting the pace

同義詞
  • pace-setter

    athlete who sets the speed at the front of a race

  • front-runner

    same word with hyphen; common in older sports writing

反義詞
  • closer

    athlete who runs strongest at the end of a race

  • kicker

    runner who saves energy for a fast sprint finish

文法句型

a frontrunner (used of a horse or athlete)

用法筆記

Restricted to sport, especially horse racing and middle-distance running. Distinguish from sense 1: here it describes a running style, not the expected winner.