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front runner

or front-run·ner, front·run·ner

SEE SYNONYMS FOR front runner ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who leads in any competition.

an entrant in a race who breaks to the front immediately and establishes the pace for the field.

an entrant in a race who performs well only when ahead of the field.

Origin of front runner

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

Words nearby front runner

front projection, front range, front room, front row, front royal, front runner, front up, front walkover, front-drive, front-end, front-end load

Example sentences from the Web for frontrunner

Thomas Sadoski should be the frontrunner to play every smarmy privileged thirty-something from now on.

'The Newsroom' Ended As It Began: Weird, Controversial, and Noble |Kevin Fallon |December 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Rounds is still the frontrunner and has led in every poll so far.

South Dakota's Bizarre Four-Way (Senate Election, That Is) |Ben Jacobs |October 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
A Republican frontrunner for 2016 wants to work with dictators to stop the Islamic State.

Rand Paul Wants to Team Up With Assad and Iran to Stop ISIS |Olivia Nuzzi |September 3, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Surprisingly, Jacobs, who was the frontrunner for much of the race, ended up in third place.

GOP Nominates Former Pig Castrator for Senate |Ben Jacobs |June 4, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

After all these years doing the show, have you gotten good at predicting who is going to be the frontrunner from the start?

‘American Idol’ Bandleader Rickey Minor on His Favorite Performance and What It Takes to Win |Kevin Fallon |May 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for frontrunner

frontrunner

/ (ˈfrʌntˌrʌnə) /

noun

informal the leader or a favoured contestant in a race, election, etc