to best
to beat someone (in a competition)
TRANSLATION
to best = besiegen, überwinden, einer Sache Herr werden --- GOOGLE INDEX bested: approximately 3,300,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Tim Howard made four saves on Sunday but was beaten twice as Manchester United BESTED Everton 2-0.
(Yahoo! Sports)
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Richard Costello of Chatham BESTED 86 other entrants in the Virtual "Papa" Hemingway Look-Alike Contest staged on the Florida Keys tourism council's Facebook page.
(BusinessWeek magazine)
(Yahoo! Sports)
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Richard Costello of Chatham BESTED 86 other entrants in the Virtual "Papa" Hemingway Look-Alike Contest staged on the Florida Keys tourism council's Facebook page.
(BusinessWeek magazine)
Did you
know?
bested (past tense of best)
verb
- to get the better of; to beat
(American Heritage Dictionary)
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Non-native speakers who have studied English are most likely familiar with the adjective best, the superlative of good (good-better-best). Perhaps lesser known is the transitive verb (a verb that requires an object) "best." It's a nice little word that makes a defeat sound less brutal.
When compared to synonyms like crush, overwhelm, route, smash, decimate or drub, it rings with sportsmanship like the English expression "may the best man win." If you thrash your mate in a game of pub darts, you can help him save face by saying, "I bested John at darts last night." If you value your friendship, refrain from expressions like "I kicked his butt."
The adjective best traces back to the Old English "beste," which was originally the superlative of "bot," a remedy or preparation. The comparative better and the superlative best were eventually transferred to good. The first use of the verb "best" was recorded in the 1860s.
Best is used in a wide range of figures of speech, phrases and idioms. Following is a very small sample:
- best bet = the thing that someone should do to achieve the result they want (Your best bet is to apologize and take her out to dinner)
- give it best shot/hope for the best = to give one's best effort/to desire the best to happen (Give it your best shot and then hope for the best)
- make the best of = to do as well as possible with something that is not promising (Just make the best of your situation)
- work out for the best = to turn out all right in the end (Don't worry. Everything will work out for the best)
SYNONYMS
defeat, KO, beat, beat up, better, blank, blast, bulldoze, clobber, conquer, cream, deck, drub, exceed, excel, flax, floor, get the better of, knock off, lambaste, let have it, lick, master, outclass, outdo, outshine, outstrip, overcome, prevail, put away, shoot down, shut down, surpass, take care of, take down, tan, thrash, top, total, transcend, trash, triumph, triumph over, trounce, wallop, waste, wax, whip, whomp, whop, wipe out, wipe the floor with, wipe, zap
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"My son bested me at chess for the first time yesterday."
---
Thanks to Sabine for suggesting today's word!
verb
- to get the better of; to beat
(American Heritage Dictionary)
---
Non-native speakers who have studied English are most likely familiar with the adjective best, the superlative of good (good-better-best). Perhaps lesser known is the transitive verb (a verb that requires an object) "best." It's a nice little word that makes a defeat sound less brutal.
When compared to synonyms like crush, overwhelm, route, smash, decimate or drub, it rings with sportsmanship like the English expression "may the best man win." If you thrash your mate in a game of pub darts, you can help him save face by saying, "I bested John at darts last night." If you value your friendship, refrain from expressions like "I kicked his butt."
The adjective best traces back to the Old English "beste," which was originally the superlative of "bot," a remedy or preparation. The comparative better and the superlative best were eventually transferred to good. The first use of the verb "best" was recorded in the 1860s.
Best is used in a wide range of figures of speech, phrases and idioms. Following is a very small sample:
- best bet = the thing that someone should do to achieve the result they want (Your best bet is to apologize and take her out to dinner)
- give it best shot/hope for the best = to give one's best effort/to desire the best to happen (Give it your best shot and then hope for the best)
- make the best of = to do as well as possible with something that is not promising (Just make the best of your situation)
- work out for the best = to turn out all right in the end (Don't worry. Everything will work out for the best)
SYNONYMS
defeat, KO, beat, beat up, better, blank, blast, bulldoze, clobber, conquer, cream, deck, drub, exceed, excel, flax, floor, get the better of, knock off, lambaste, let have it, lick, master, outclass, outdo, outshine, outstrip, overcome, prevail, put away, shoot down, shut down, surpass, take care of, take down, tan, thrash, top, total, transcend, trash, triumph, triumph over, trounce, wallop, waste, wax, whip, whomp, whop, wipe out, wipe the floor with, wipe, zap
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"My son bested me at chess for the first time yesterday."
---
Thanks to Sabine for suggesting today's word!
