best

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See also: Best

English[edit]

WOTD – 27 August 2010
English Wikipedia has articles on:
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Etymology[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈbɛst/
  • Audio (US)
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  • Audio (AU)
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  • Audio
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  • Rhymes: -ɛst

Adjective[edit]

best (positive good, adverb well, comparative better, superlative (humorous) bestest)

  1. superlative form of good: most good.
    I can either be your best friend or your worst enemy.
    • c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [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. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: Printed [by Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […] [a]nd by Robert Boulter […] [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: The Text Exactly Reproduced from the First Edition of 1667: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554, 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.
  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.

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]

Translations[edit]

Adverb[edit]

best

  1. superlative form of well: most well
  2. To the most advantage; with the most success, cause, profit, benefit, or propriety.
    • (Can we date this quote by William Makepeace Thackeray and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      Had I not best go to her?
  3. (colloquial shortening) Had best.
    It's getting late. You best get on home.

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

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[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.
  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, [2]:
      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.

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

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.”

Antonyms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

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

  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.
Inflection[edit]
  • (definite inflected form): beste
Synonyms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
  • Afrikaans: beste

Adverb[edit]

best

  1. quite, rather
    Dat zou best kunnen.
    It's quite possible.

Etymology 2[edit]

Noun[edit]

best f (plural besten, diminutive bestje n)

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

Middle Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

best

  1. best; superlative degree of goet

Adverb[edit]

best

  1. best; superlative degree of wel

Descendants[edit]

Middle English[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old English betst, betest.

Adjective[edit]

best

  1. Alternative form of beste

Adverb[edit]

best

  1. Alternative form of beste

Etymology 2[edit]

From Old French beste.

Noun[edit]

best

  1. Alternative form of beeste

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Norse beztr

Adjective[edit]

best

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

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

  1. best

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Norse beztr

Adjective[edit]

best

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

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

  1. best

References[edit]

Old Saxon[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Germanic *batistaz.

Adverb[edit]

best

  1. best

Descendants[edit]

Scots[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

best

  1. superlative degree of guid

Derived terms[edit]

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

Noun[edit]

best (plural bests)

  1. groomsman

Swedish[edit]

Noun[edit]

best c

  1. beast

Declension[edit]

Declension of best 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative best besten bestar bestarna
Genitive bests bestens bestars bestarnas

Anagrams[edit]

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