best

From Middle English beste, best, from Old English betst, betest, from Proto-Germanic *batistaz.

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛst/

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• Audio (AU)

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• Rhymes: -ɛst

best

1. superlative form of good: most good.

   I can either be your best friend or your worst enemy.

   • (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare

     When he is best, he is a little worse than a man.

   • (Can we date this quote?) John Milton

     Heaven's last, best gift

   • 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.

2. Most; largest.

   Unpacking took the best part of a week.

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.

• baddest (nonstandard)
• worst

• bestness
• bester, bestest

best

1. superlative form of well: most well
   • (Can we date this quote?) John Milton

     Thou serpent! That name best befits thee.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Samuel Taylor Coleridge

     He prayeth best, who loveth best / All things both great and small.

   • 1907, Robert William Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 24962326:

     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.

2. To the most advantage; with the most success, cause, profit, benefit, or propriety.
   • (Can we date this quote?) John Milton

     Had we best retire? I see a storm.

   • (Can we date this quote?) William Makepeace Thackeray

     Had I not best go to her?

best (countable and uncountable, plural bests)

1. (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:

     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.

2. (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.

3. (countable) The person (or persons; or thing or things) that is (are) most excellent.
   • 1994, Otis L. Guernsey and Jeffrey Sweet, The Best Plays of 1993-1994, page vii:

     Mel Gussow reviews the bests of off off Broadway

   • 1995 October, Cincinnati Magazine, :

     But in true Cincinnati style, the bests consistently outnumber the worsts.

   • 2011, G. Edward Evans, Sheila S. Intner, and 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.

best (third-person singular simple present bests, present participle besting, simple past and past participle bested)

1. To surpass in skill or achievement.
2. (transitive) To beat in a contest
   • 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.”

• worst

• better
• bestest

• BTEs, Bets, bets

• IPA^(key): /bɛst/

• audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: best
• Rhymes: -ɛst

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.

best

1. Superlative form of goed; best.
2. 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.

• (definite inflected form): beste

• (fine): prima

best

1. quite, rather

   Dat zou best kunnen.

   It's quite possible.

• best oké

best f (plural besten, diminutive bestje n)

1. (dated, chiefly diminutive) Alternative form of bes (“old woman”).

From Old Dutch *betst, from Proto-Germanic *batistaz.

• IPA^(key): /best/

best

1. best; superlative degree of goet

best

1. best; superlative degree of wel

• Dutch: best

From Old English betst, betest.

best

1. Alternative form of beste

best

1. Alternative form of beste

From Old French beste.

best

1. Alternative form of beeste

From Old Norse beztr

best

1. indefinite superlative of god
2. indefinite superlative of bra

best (indefinite singular best, definite singular and plural beste)

1. best

• bestselger
• bestselgende

• “best” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From Old Norse beztr

best

1. indefinite superlative of god
2. indefinite superlative of bra

best (indefinite singular best, definite singular and plural beste)

1. best

• “best” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

• betst

From Proto-Germanic *batistaz.

best

1. best

• Low German: best

• IPA^(key): [bɛst]

best

1. superlative degree of guid

• ill-best (“best of a bad lot, best of a poor selection”)

best (plural bests)

1. groomsman

best c

1. beast