best
/bɛst/ adjective, adverb, noun, verb, proper noun
Also a form of better good well
Forms bester bestest bests besting bested
- adjective Most; largest. “Unpacking took the best part of a week.”
- adjective Most superior; most favorable. “In my opinion, mushrooms are the best pizza toppings.”
- adverb 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.”
- noun (uncountable, often used after possessive determiners) The supreme effort one can make, or has made. “I did my best.”
- noun (uncountable, often used after possessive determiners) 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.”
- noun (countable, often used after definite article) The person (or persons; or thing or things) that is (are) most excellent. “Even the best of us makes mistakes, but only a few with the best of intentions...”
- verb (transitive) To surpass in skill or achievement.
- verb (transitive) To beat in a contest.
- verb (modal, colloquial) Had best. “It's getting late. You best get on home.”
- proper noun A surname.
- proper noun A village and municipality in North Brabant province, Netherlands.
Synonyms
optimal all that and a bag of chips antelope's cantaloupes ant's pants bee's knees bollocks cat's ass cat's meow cat's pajamas cat's pyjamas cat's whiskers cream of the crop crème de la crème da bomb dog's bollocks dog's dangly bits finger-lickin' good finger-licking good flea's eyebrows fox's socks topper C. H. Best Charles Herbert Best outdo outflank trump scoop better
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English best, beste, from Old English bezt, betest, from Proto-Germanic *batistaz.
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 and Norwegian Nynorsk best (“best”), Swedish bäst (“best”), Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐍄𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍃 (batists, “best”).
Shortening of had best
From German Beste (“a river in Germany”) or from Anglo-Norman beste (“beast”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Having good qualities in the highest degree; most good, kind, desirable, suitable, etc.; most excellent; as, the best man; the best road; the best cloth; the best abilities.
- adjective Most advanced; most correct or complete; as, the best scholar; the best view of a subject.
- noun Utmost; highest endeavor or state; most nearly perfect thing, or being, or action; as, to do one's best; to the best of our ability. At best, in the utmost degree or extent applicable to the case; under the most favorable circumstances; as, life is at best very short.
- adverb In the highest degree; beyond all others. "Thou serpent! That name best befits thee." Milton.
Etymology [AS. besta, best, contr. from betest, betst, betsta; akin to Goth. batists, OHG. pezzisto, G. best, beste, D. best, Icel. beztr, Dan. best, Sw. bäst. This word has no connection in origin with good. See Better.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “best”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details