best
English Edit
Pronunciation Edit
Etymology 1 Edit
From Middle English beste, best, from Old English betst, betest, from Proto-Germanic *batistaz.
Adjective Edit
best (positive good, adverb well, comparative better, superlative (humorous) bestest)
- superlative form of good: most good.
- I can either be your best friend or your worst enemy.
- c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 163, column 1:
- […] when he is beſt, he is a little worſe then a man, and when he is worſt, he is little better than a beaſt:
- 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, line 19:
- Heav'ns laſt beſt gift, my ever new delight,
- 2011 October 7, Lana Del Rey, Justin Parker (lyrics and music), “Video Games”, in Born to Die, performed by Lana Del Rey:
- Swinging in the backyard
Pull up in your fast car whistling my name
Open up a beer
And you say get over here and play a video game
[…]
I say you the bestest
Lean in for a big kiss, put his favorite perfume on
Go play your video game
- 2013 August 10, Schumpeter, “Cronies and capitols”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
- Policing the relationship between government and business in a free society is difficult. […] Governments have to find the best people to fill important jobs: there is a limited supply of people who understand the financial system, for example. But governments must also remember that businesses are self-interested actors who will try to rig the system for their own benefit.
- Most; largest.
- Unpacking took the best part of a week.
- Most superior; most favorable.
- In my opinion, mushrooms are the best pizza toppings.
Usage notes Edit
The comparative gooder and superlative goodest derived from the positive good are nonstandard. In informal (often jocular) contexts, best may be inflected further and given the comparative bester and the superlative bestest; these forms are also nonstandard.
Antonyms Edit
Derived terms Edit
- accidents will happen in the best regulated families
- at one's best
- attack is the best form of defence
- attack is the best form of defense
- at the best
- at the best of times
- best and fairest
- best ball
- best-before date
- best before date
- best bet
- best bib and tucker
- best bitter
- best bower
- best boy
- best-by date
- best-case
- best-case scenario
- best case scenario
- best efforts
- bester
- bestest
- best evidence rule
- best form lens
- best friend
- best friend forever
- best gal
- best girl
- best-kept secret
- best laid plans
- best maid
- best man
- bestness
- best-of
- best of
- best of both worlds
- best of breed
- best of British
- best off
- best of luck
- best of the bunch
- best on ground
- best part of
- best pleased
- best practice
- best regards
- best-seller
- best-selling
- best thing since sliced bread
- best thing since sliced pan
- best wishes
- come off second best
- 'd best
- diamonds are a girl's best friend
- do one's best
- experience is the best teacher
- for best
- for the best
- give it one's best shot
- have the best of it
- he who laughs last laughs best
- honesty is the best policy
- hunger is the best sauce
- hunger is the best spice
- it happens to the best of us
- laughter is the best medicine
- level best
- line of best fit
- live one's best life
- look one's best
- make the best of a bad bargain
- make the best of a bad job
- make the best of one's way
- man's best friend
- personal best
- put one's best foot foremost
- put one's best foot forward
- revenge is a dish best served cold
- second best
- six of the best
- Sunday-best
- Sunday best
- sunlight is the best disinfectant
- take one's best shot
- the best defence is attack
- the best defense is a good offense
- the best is the enemy of the good
- the best laid plans of mice and men go oft astray
- the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry
- the best things in life are free
- third best
- to the best of one's knowledge
- wife's best friend
- with the best
- with the best of them
- with the best will in the world
Adverb Edit
best
- superlative form of well: most well
- 1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 867–869:
- Out of my ſight, thou Serpent, that name beſt
Befits thee with him leagu'd, thy ſelf as falſe
And hateful;
- 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […]”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J. M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 65, line 1072:
- But had we beſt retire, I ſee a ſtorm?
- 1797–1798 (date written), [Samuel Taylor Coleridge], “The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere”, in Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems, London: […] J[ohn] & A[rthur] Arch, […], published 1798, →OCLC:
- He prayeth best, who loveth best / All things both great and small.
- 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
- At her invitation he outlined for her the succeeding chapters with terse military accuracy ; and what she liked best and best understood was avoidance of that false modesty which condescends, turning technicality into pabulum.
- To the most advantage; with the most success, cause, profit, benefit, or propriety.
- 1854, Arthur Pendennis [pseudonym; William Makepeace Thackeray], The Newcomes: Memoirs of a Most Respectable Family, volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], →OCLC:
- Had I not best go to her?
Noun Edit
best (countable and uncountable, plural bests)
- (uncountable) The supreme effort one can make, or has made.
- I did my best.
- My personal best in that race is eighteen minutes, four seconds.
- 2011 September 28, Tom Rostance, “Arsenal 2 - 1 Olympiakos”, in BBC Sport[1]:
- Home defender Per Mertesacker had to be at his best to stop a dangerous cross from Vassilis Torossidis reaching Djebbour, but moments later Arsenal doubled their lead through Santos.
- (uncountable) One's best behavior.
- I was somewhat distant lately, and my lady promised me head every Tuesday of the week when I’m nice to her, so I better be on my best.
- (countable) The person (or persons; or thing or things) that is (are) most excellent.
- Even the best of us makes mistakes.
- We're the best of friends.
- 1994, Otis L. Guernsey, Jeffrey Sweet, The Best Plays of 1993-1994, page vii:
- Mel Gussow reviews the bests of off off Broadway
- 1995 October, Cincinnati Magazine, page 5:
- But in true Cincinnati style, the bests consistently outnumber the worsts.
- 2011, G. Edward Evans, Sheila S. Intner, Jean Riddle Weihs, Introduction to Technical Services, page 149:
- There are the bests for each institution, the bests for coalitions, and, of course, the bests for the group as a whole.
- 2013, Jesse Jose, Collections Of My Best And Most-Hated, "A Cup O' Kapeng Barako" Writings, page 209:
- If he's one of the bests, he should be fighting the bests, NOT the pipitsugins.
Derived terms Edit
Translations Edit
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Verb Edit
best (third-person singular simple present bests, present participle besting, simple past and past participle bested)
- To surpass in skill or achievement.
- (transitive) To beat in a contest.
- 1944 July and August, Charles E. Lee, “The "City of Truro"”, in Railway Magazine, pages 201–202:
- The Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship Kronprinz Wilhelm left New York on May 3 [1904], at 3.10 p.m. and reached Plymouth Sound on May 9 at 8 a.m. This was then a very fast crossing of the Atlantic, but it was not the record. The same ship had held the "Blue Riband" in 1902, but had been slightly bested by the Kaiser Wilhelm II, a larger vessel of the same line, in 1903, and that stood as the record until the Cunard Line secured the honours in 1909 with the Mauretania and held them for an unbroken period of 20 years.
- 2010, T. William Phillips, Restless Heart, page 16:
- "You did not win because I was sloppy. You bested me, Uncle. I've never seen you fight like that before.”
Conjugation Edit
infinitive | (to) best | ||
---|---|---|---|
present tense | past tense | ||
1st-person singular | best | bested | |
2nd-person singular | |||
3rd-person singular | bests | ||
plural | best | ||
subjunctive | best | bested | |
imperative | best | — | |
participles | besting | bested |
Antonyms Edit
Translations Edit
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Related terms Edit
Derived terms Edit
Etymology 2 Edit
Shortening of had best
Verb Edit
best
- (modal verb, colloquial) Had best.
- It's getting late. You best get on home.
- 1935, Edward Joseph O'Brien, John Cournos, editors, The Best British Short Stories of 1935, page 37:
- 'We best be going,' she said, looking at the clock.
- 2010, Mary B. Morrison, Somebody's Gotta Be On Top:
- Brother, you best be gone when I return.
Usage notes Edit
- Although it is sometimes considered an adverb, best is virtually synonymous with should in We best be going. and ought to We best go.. Should and ought are auxiliary verbs.
References Edit
- “best”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- “best”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Anagrams Edit
Dutch Edit
Pronunciation Edit
Etymology 1 Edit
From Middle Dutch best, from Old Dutch *betst, from Proto-Germanic *batistaz, superlative of *gōdaz. Compare Low German best, English best, West Frisian best, German besten, Danish bedst.
Adjective Edit
best
- superlative degree of goed; best.
- fine, okay
- Mag ik buiten spelen? — Ik vind het best, als je maar voor het eten weer thuis bent.
- May I go and play outside? — It's fine with me, as long as you're back home again before dinner.
Inflection Edit
- (definite inflected form): beste
Synonyms Edit
- (fine): prima
Descendants Edit
Adverb Edit
best
Etymology 2 Edit
Noun Edit
best f (plural besten, diminutive bestje n)
Middle Dutch Edit
Etymology Edit
From Old Dutch *betst, from Proto-Germanic *batistaz.
Pronunciation Edit
Adjective Edit
best
Adverb Edit
best
Descendants Edit
Middle English Edit
Etymology 1 Edit
From Old English betst, betest.
Adjective Edit
best
- Alternative form of beste
Adverb Edit
best
- Alternative form of beste
Etymology 2 Edit
From Old French beste.
Noun Edit
best
- Alternative form of beeste
Norwegian Bokmål Edit
Etymology Edit
Adjective Edit
best
- indefinite singular superlative degree of god: best
- indefinite singular superlative degree of bra: best
Derived terms Edit
References Edit
- “best” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk Edit
Etymology Edit
Adjective Edit
best
References Edit
- “best” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Old Saxon Edit
Alternative forms Edit
Etymology Edit
From Proto-Germanic *batistaz.
Adverb Edit
best
Descendants Edit
- Low German: best
Portuguese Edit
Etymology Edit
Unadapted borrowing from English best.
Pronunciation Edit
Noun Edit
best m or f by sense (invariable)
Further reading Edit
- “best” in Dicionário inFormal.
Scots Edit
Pronunciation Edit
Adjective Edit
best
Derived terms Edit
- ill-best (“best of a bad lot, best of a poor selection”)
Noun Edit
best (plural bests)
Swedish Edit
Etymology Edit
Pronunciation Edit
Noun Edit
best c
Declension Edit
Declension of best | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | best | besten | bestar | bestarna |
Genitive | bests | bestens | bestars | bestarnas |