front runner
noun1
Idiomatic Any of the most likely winners in a contest, election, etc.
- [T]he American League pennant did not shape up as much of a race. There were the Indians and the Yankees, front runners as usual.1955 May 9, “Sport: First-Division Tigers”, in Time:
- Dubai, which would be the first host of a world’s fair in the Middle East, has emerged as the front-runner, offering the most financial and governmental support.2013 August 25, Georgi Kantchev, “World Expositions Can Benefit or Haunt Host Cities”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
1 more example
- The Conservative leadership frontrunner, Liz Truss, has rejected “handouts” as a way of helping people affected by the cost of living crisis.2022 August 6, Geneva Abdul, “Liz Truss rejects ‘handouts’ as way to tackle cost of living crisis”, in The Guardian:
- Derived terms
- front run
- Related terms
- front running