Frontrunner

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person or team considered most likely to win a race, election, or competition
2. The individual or group expected to achieve victory before others in a contest or selection
3. The main contender who holds the strongest chance of success in a competitive event

Etymology: "Frontrunner" is a plain compound: "front" joined to "runner," meaning one who runs at the front of a race. The "front" part traces back through Old French "front," from Latin "frontem," meaning forehead, which came to mean the front of anything, and reached English in Middle English as "fronte" or "frount." "Runner," from the Old English "rinnan" to run, has been used since the Middle Ages for a racer or messenger. The sporting sense is the one that gave the word its modern shape. A runner placed at the front of the pack is the one most likely to finish first, and the figurative use for a candidate or competitor leading in the polls or betting follows naturally from that picture.

Synonyms: leader, pioneer, forerunner, trailblazer

Antonyms: follower, underachiever