2.126 used with ordinal numbers

Ordinal numbers are used with superlatives to indicate that something has more of a quality than nearly all other things of their kind. For example, if you say that a mountain is 'the second highest mountain', you mean that it is higher than any other mountain except the highest one.

• ...Mobil, the second biggest industrial company in the United States.
• ...Stonehenge, the second most popular tourist attraction in Britain.
• It is Japan's third largest city.

Ordinal numbers are explained in paragraphs 2.249 to 2.256.