front runner

plural front runners · alternative frontrunner · alternative front-runner

1. idiomaticOne who is the most likely winner 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

   2 more examples

   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

   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

2. businessOne who engages in front running.