Dictionary

frontrunner en · NOUN

Etymology

From front + runner.

Meanings

1. (alt-of, alternative) Alternative form of front runner.
   alt of front runner
   • “Republican frontrunner Donald Trump used a campaign stop in Michigan on Monday to make astonishingly sexist attacks against Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton,” the left-leaning ThinkProgress wrote. 2015 December 22, Justin Wm. Moyer, “Donald Trump’s ‘schlonged’: A linguistic investigation”, in The Washington Post, archived from the original on 24 Dec 2015:
   • But as the old papal election saying goes: “He who enters the conclave as pope, leaves it as a cardinal”, because few of those who are frontrunners at the start make it through the successive rounds of voting. 2025 May 8, Angela Giuffrida and Harriet Sherwood, “White smoke from Sistine Chapel chimney signals election of new pope”, in The Guardian:
   • 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:
   • In 2020, Edward Pentin, the senior Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Register, released a book on the topic, titled "The Next Pope: The Leading Cardinal Candidates." In the book, Pentin listed 19 cardinals he considered to be papabile, or "popeable" frontrunners. 2025 April 21, Sam Clancy, Andrew Weil, “Former St. Louis archbishop Burke among 'popeable' candidates after Francis' death”, in KSDK:

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