Meanings
adjectivesecond-string (not comparable)
- not comparablebelonging to the second string of a team
- not comparablesubstitute or replacement
- not comparablesecond most important
Having worked so hard to reach the Champions League, elimination will be a bitter blow for Mancini and City as they join neighbours United in Europe's second-string competition.
2011 December 7, Phil McNulty, “Man City 2 - 0 Bayern Munich”, in BBC Sport
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivebeing a replacement or substitute for a regular member of a team
Similar
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
APA
second-string. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/second-string
MLA
“second-string.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/second-string. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “second-string,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/second-string.
Source: second-string on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.