second-best

1 of 3

adjective

sec·​ond-best ˌse-kən(d)-ˈbest How to pronounce second-best (audio)
-kᵊŋ-
: next to the best

second best

2 of 3

noun

: one that is below or after the best

second best

3 of 3

adverb

: in second place

Examples of second-best in a Sentence

Noun He won't settle for second best.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Advertisement But the Dodgers enter Friday with 25 team defensive runs saved, according to Sports Info Solutions, the second-best total behind Kansas City (35). Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024 Broomfield in Colorado scored second-best on Livability’s best places to live list. Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 8 May 2024 Omega, the Swiss brand owned by Swatch Group AG, was the second-best performer among brand indexes over the year, declining by about 2% as secondary market prices for some of its Speedmaster chronograph models gained or held firm. Andy Hoffman, Fortune Europe, 8 May 2024 After having the second-best time in Thursday’s prelims, Powell finished strong, coming from behind to win in 4:30.09. Glenn Reeves, The Mercury News, 4 May 2024 During the regular season, Florida controlled 55.7 percent of shot attempts when the game was played at full strength — the second-best mark in the league behind only the Carolina Hurricanes (59.55 percent) — and outscored opponents 155-119. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 2 May 2024 The Kings went into Thursday’s game holding the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs and anticipating a first-round matchup with the Dallas Stars, the team with the second-best record in the NHL and one which has owned the Kings this season. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024 Its data showed Alaska had the second-best safety score, third-best comfort and reliability, and fourth-best affordability. Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024 Monk had the second-best 10-yard split (1.74 seconds) among center prospects at the combine. Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2024
Noun
His 81 touchdowns rank second best in AFL history behind Don Maynard, and his 8,015 yards receiving were third behind only Maynard and Hall of Famer Lance Alworth. Josh Dubow, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2023
Adverb
Among the challenges for the second best-selling female artist of all time? Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 10 Feb. 2023 When the year wrapped, Red was the second best-selling LP of 2012 with 3.11 million, following Adele's 21. Joe Lynch, Billboard, 18 June 2021 His 138 yards over expectation ranked second best to Keisean Nixon's 214 for Green Bay. Josh Dubow, ajc, 11 Jan. 2023 For the year, the Ravens are allowing only 81 yards per game on the ground – second best in the NFL. Terry Pluto, cleveland, 17 Dec. 2022 Army has 11 players with at least 100 rushing yards this season and is averaging 304.4 rushing yards per game, second best in the country. Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 10 Dec. 2022 Oregon is best at containing the run, as its 112.55-yards per game average is narrowly second best in the Pac-12 behind Oregon State. oregonlive, 25 Nov. 2022 Minnesota is ready to exploit this if needed as evidenced by its 8.33 yards per carry off left tackle this season, second best in the NFL. Dallas News, 19 Nov. 2022 The Dallas Cowboys are 5-2 and have held opponents to just 14.9 points per game, second best in the NFL. Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'second-best.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1647, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1777, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of second-best was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near second-best

second base

second-best

second best

Cite this Entry

“Second-best.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second-best. Accessed 18 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

second-best

adjective
: next to the best
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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