berth, runner-up, top runner, finder-out

At the bottom of the list was China, worse than runners-up Syria and Iran in terms of a lack of online freedom.

China now worst in the world for internet freedom: survey | Hong Kong Free Press

Global online freedom declined for a fifth consecutive year as more…

HONGKONGFP.COM|作者：AFP NEWS AGENCY

Germany secures Olympic field hockey berth with win over Japan
International Herald Tribune - France
KAKAMIGAHARA, Japan: Christopher Zeller scored two goals Sunday as Germany defeated Japan 4-0 to secure a place in the men's field hockey tournament at the Beijing Olympics.
Florian Keller and Sebastian Draguhn also scored for Germany which won all six games of the qualifying tournament to secure the 12th and final spot for the Beijing Games.
Japan's team, which was bidding for its first Olympic berth since the 1968 Mexico City Games, finished runner-up ahead of Malaysia, Poland, Italy and Switzerland.

runner-up and finder-out

runner-up：第二名、亞軍，複數為runners-up或runner-ups，如 Ten runners-up will each receive a sweatshirt.（10位亞軍每人將可獲得一件運動衫。）
2007/12/20
聽CNN 報導TIME選 Putin當"年度人物"
用The noun runner-up has one meaning: Meaning #1: the competitor who finishes second
Synonym: second best

知道:
The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare
Part 3 out of 3 ..... to me; for had I been the finder-out of this secret, it would not ...

top (BEST) Show phonetics
adjective, adverb
1 (in the position of being) most important or successful; best:
So what would be your top choice for a holiday.?
As a chess player he's among the top 10% in the country.

2 be/come top to be the student with the best results:
She came top of the class in English.
Sam was top at/in Science.

3 Top people, organizations or activities are the most important or successful ones:
top athletes/executives
top jobs
top universities

top- Show phonetics
prefix
used with many different words to mean 'best':
a top-class athlete
top-ranking officers

the top Show phoneticsnoun [S]
the most important position in a group or organization:
At forty, he was at the top of his profession.
Life at the top is stressful.

top Show phonetics
verb [T] -pp-
to do, pay, etc. more or better than anyone else:
"They've offered me £1000." "I'm afraid we can't top that."
She topped my suggestion with an even better one of her own.

berth

━━ n. （pl. ～s , ） （船・列車などの）寝台; 停泊地; 操船余地 （sea room）; （気楽な）地位, 職.
give a wide berth to / give … a wide birth / keep a wide berth of　…から離れている, …を避ける.
━━ v. 停泊する［させる］.

n.

1. Sufficient space for a ship to maneuver; sea room: kept a clear berth of the reefs.
2. A space for a ship to dock or anchor: a steamship moored to its berth at the pier.
3. 1. Employment on a ship: sought an officer's berth in the merchant marine.
   2. A job: a comfortable berth as head of the department.
4. 1. A built-in bed or bunk, as on a ship or a train.
   2. A place to sleep or stay; accommodations: found a berth in a nearby hotel.
5. A space where a vehicle can be parked, as for loading.

v., berthed, berth·ing, berths. v.tr.

1. To bring (a ship) to a berth.
2. To provide with a berth.

v.intr.
To come to a berth; dock.
idiom:
a wide berth

1. Ample space or distance to avoid an unwanted consequence: gave their angry colleague a wide berth.

[Middle English birth; perhaps akin to beren, to bear. See bear¹.]

runner-up Show phonetics
noun [C] plural runners-up
a person who comes second in a race or competition