second string

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

ˈsec•ond ˈstring, n. [countable]

1. Sport the squad of players available to replace or relieve those who start a game.

sec•ond--string•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

sec′ond string′, 

1. Sport the squad of players available either individually or as a team to replace or relieve those who start a game.
2. a secondary position, status, or group, as in a level of corporate management.
• 1635–45 in sense "backup, resort,'' alluding to a second bowstring; 1860–65, applied to racehorses; 1950–55, to sports teams
sec′ond-string′, adj. 
sec′ond-string′er, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

second string noun

1. an alternative course of action, etc, intended to come into use should the first fail (esp in the phrase a second string to one's bow)

adjective second-string

1. being a substitute player