Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

Best

//ˈbɛst// adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Adjective

1
superlative form of good: most good. form-of, superlative
"I can either be your best friend or your worst enemy."
2
Most; largest.
"Unpacking took the best part of a week."
3
Most superior; most favorable.
"In my opinion, mushrooms are the best pizza toppings."

Adjective

1
(comparative and superlative of ‘well’) wiser or more advantageous and hence advisable wordnet
2
(superlative of ‘good’) having the most positive qualities wordnet

Adverb

1
superlative form of well: most well form-of, superlative
"A popular aphorism says it best: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
2
To the most advantage; with the most success, cause, profit, benefit, or propriety.
"You'd best save a backup copy, just in case the morons lose the one that you sent and then try to act like you never sent one."

Adverb

1
it would be sensible wordnet
2
in a most excellent way or manner wordnet
3
from a position of superiority or authority wordnet

Proper Noun

1
A surname. countable, uncountable
2
A village and municipality in North Brabant province, Netherlands. countable, uncountable

Noun

1
The supreme effort one can make, or has made. often, uncountable
"I did my best."
2
the supreme effort one can make wordnet
3
One's best behavior. often, uncountable
"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."
4
the person who is most outstanding or excellent; someone who tops all others wordnet
5
The person (or persons; or thing or things) that is (are) most excellent. countable, often
"Even the best of us makes mistakes, but only a few with the best of intentions..."

Verb

1
To surpass in skill or achievement. transitive
2
Had best. colloquial, modal
"It's getting late. You best get on home."
3
get the better of wordnet
4
To beat in a contest. transitive
"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."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English beste, best, from Old English betst, betest, from Proto-Germanic *batistaz. Cognates Cognate with Scots best (“best”), Cimbrian peste, péste (“best”), Dutch best (“best”), German beste (“best”), Yiddish בעסט (best, “best”), Danish bedst (“best”), Faroese bestur (“best”), Icelandic bestur, beztur (“best”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk best (“best”), Swedish bäst (“best”), Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐍄𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍃 (batists, “best”).

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

Etymology 4

Etymology 5

Shortening of had best

Etymology 6

From German Beste (“a river in Germany”) or from Anglo-Norman beste (“beast”).

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: best