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pacesetter

7.5

A horse that runs first to make the race go faster

noun
/ˈpeɪsˌsɛtər/

Jargon

: marcador de ritmo

In the relay, the pacesetter sprinted ahead to ensure the team started with a quick pace.

Examples

During the marathon, a strong runner was designated as the pacesetter to help set a competitive speed.
She went by the pacesetter and kept going to register a 3 1/4 length win.

Blog text (30)
Mr. Cho and his family eventually got green cards, then U.S. passports, and Simon worked his way up through the ranks of junior speedskating, at one point serving as a rabbit, or pacesetter, for the U.S. women's team.

Blog text (22)
The horse acted as a pacesetter during the race, establishing a fast rhythm for the competitors.

Synonyms

pacer

vspacesetter

Jargon

1 8.3

A horse used in harness racing that moves in a two-step rhythm and often leads the race

is a general race horse that sets speed not only in harness events

pacemaker

vspacesetter

Jargon

1 8.3

A horse that sets a fast pace to help another horse win

is used more generally to establish speed rather than only to help another

Antonyms

laggard

4 8.1

A person or thing that is slower than others and falls behind

Surface Forms

pacesetter singular

pacesetters plural

Morphology

pacesetter = pace + setter (transparent) = pace + setter

Compound of 'pace' + 'setter' meaning one who sets the pace; the role is directly inferable from the components.

Etymology

Pacesetter comes from the parts pace ('speed' or 'step') and set ('to place' or 'show'). It originally named a horse that ran in front to 'set the pace' for a race, showing the speed for the others and helping them run faster.