Best Definition
- realest
- truest
- brightest
- fairest
- fittest
- bonniest
- nicest
- ablest
- kindliest
- pleasantest
- biggest
- greatest
- largest
- tidiest
- healthiest
To surpass in skill or achievement.
To beat in a contest;
A surname.
- Interpreted most favorably; at the most:
no more than 40 people at best in attendance.
- Under the most favorable conditions:
has a top speed of 20 miles per hour at best.
- With an ultimately positive or preferable result.
- To outdo or outwit; defeat:
My opponent got the best of me in the debate.
- To accept (a bad situation) in as good a light as possible.
- turning out to be good or fortunate after all
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Best
- at best
- for the best
- get
- make the best of
- all for the best
- as best one can
- at best
- at one's best
- get the best of
- had best
- make the best of
- with the best
Origin of Best
-
From Middle English beste, from Old English betst, betest (“best”), from Proto-Germanic *batistaz (“best”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhAd- (“good”). Cognate with Scots best (“best”), West Frisian best (“best”), Dutch best (“best”), Low German best (“best”), German beste (“best”), Danish bedst (“best”), Swedish bäst (“best”), Icelandic bestur (“best”). More at better.
From Wiktionary
-
From German Beste (“a river in Germany”) or from Anglo-Norman beste (“beast”).
From Wiktionary
-
Middle English from Old English betst bhad- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Related Articles
Find Similar Words
Find similar words to best using the buttons below.