Uncommonly, "best" can also be used in idiomatic expressions to emphasize excellence. Each use has specific contexts and meanings. It’s often used when discussing personal or general achievements, like "He gave his best during the competition." It often refers to the topmost or finest in a category, as in "She is the best chef in the city."
The 21-year-old now has the best figures in the format, besting the previous record held by Bhutan's Sonam Yeshey, who took eight wickets for seven runs against Myanmar in a men's T20 international in 2025. Among the company’s business segments, second-quarter sales for aeronautics, which includes the F-35 fighter jet, rose 9.3% to $8.11 billion, besting the FactSet consensus no kyc crypto casino of $7.61 billion. Alphabet’s shares are up roughly 70% in the past year—easily besting its Big Tech competitors. Colby Parkinson has 43 catches, eight for touchdowns, both career bests. On a population-adjusted basis, by my calculation, only FDR bests him—FDR whose four presidential runs were all blowouts. People also use this word to recommend something, as in "It would be best to get a lot of sleep."
He gave his best performance in the play. Antonyms of "best" reflect the opposite qualities, indicating lower quality or performance. The 'e' is pronounced as a short vowel sound, and the 'st' ending is sharp and crisp.
Definition of "Best": Highest Quality or Excellence
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023 The Criminal Element suggested that anyone truly invested in fighting crime, in besting criminals, should learn to listen carefully. "Depending on where the final figure comes in on Monday, this is a record-breaking opening for a Bollywood film in the US," said Gross, potentially besting 2022 hit "RRR."
The word "best" is often used to describe something that is of the highest quality or most favorable in a given situation. Borrowed from Middle English beste (whence modern English beast), from Old French beste, from Latin bēstia. Best (comparative (nonstandard, humorous) bester, superlative (nonstandard, humorous) bestest) Go beyond just looking up words.Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.
auxiliary verb
"Best" means something that is superior or of the highest quality in comparison to others. These errors typically occur due to typographical mistakes or confusion with similar-sounding words. Common misspellings of "best" include bset, besst, bestt, bests, and beest. "Best" is pronounced as "bɛst," with a short 'e' sound and a sharp 'st' ending.
A common ordinary seaman bests the great Inigo Montoya with the sword? But the third, about a Latino World War II pilot who bests a Yautja in a deadly flight contest, underscores ingenuity as being superior to any weapon or combat skill. Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. U.S Dictionary is the premier dictionary about the English language as used in the United States of America. Most people won't. Learning such commonly used adjectives can enhance descriptive writing skills and make comparisons more effective in conversations.
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- As an adjective, "best" describes something of the highest quality or standing.
- Several terms are related to "best," sharing similar meanings or contexts.
- Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context.
GM shares rose 5% after GM disclosed its second-quarter financial results, including per-share earnings that bested Wall Street expectations. Its third-quarter guidance for both profit and sales, at the midpoint, also bested forecasts. From 1950 to 1955, the Martin-and-Lewis-hosted “Colgate Comedy Hour” frequently bested Sullivan in the ratings.