bestseller

noun

best·​sell·​er ˈbes(t)-ˈse-lər 

variants or best seller

plural bestsellers or best sellers

: a popular product and especially a book whose sales are among the highest of its class

[Isabel] Allende's new book is spun from the stuff of epic romances: eternal love, lost innocence, distant locales, revolution. In short, all the elements of a sure bestseller.

—Julie K. L. Dam

The Harvard Book Store Café … is not only the obvious choice for the latest best seller but the intelligent break for a shopper's graze.

—Alice Rubenstein Gochman

Two million copies have been sold, and it has been on the New York Times bestseller list for four years.

—Judith Daniels

… the two Fisher-Price bestsellers are the company's Fun with Food [toy] series and the Fisher-Price Fun with Food Kitchen.

—The New Yorker

She knows what the mass market wants—Vanderbilt and Chaps [fragrances] are best sellers—and she has a flair for what appeals to a more specialized market …

—Amy Singer

best-sellerdom

ˈbes(t)-ˈse-lər-dəm 

noun

best-selling

ˈbes(t)-ˈse-liŋ 

adjective

Examples of bestseller in a Sentence

She has written several best sellers.

Recent Examples on the Web

Perennial bestsellers include bodysuits priced at $14 for a five-pack in short sleeves, and a four-pack in long sleeves. — David Moin, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026

Victor Kruglov, Ranok’s chief executive, told United24 that comic books, international bestsellers, and contemporary Ukrainian fiction titles were also destroyed in a fire that burned for more than a week. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026

The book, the first in a trilogy, Maple Hills, spent 70 weeks atop the New York Times bestseller list. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026

The sequel is in early development and comes amid the recent release of Prime Video‘s adaptation of Hazelwood‘s bestseller The Love Hypothesis, starring Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bestseller

• bookseller
• flagellar
• impeller
• lamellar
• micellar
• modeller
• ocellar
• patellar
• propeller
• reseller
• scutellar
• beller

Kids Definition

best-seller

noun

best-sell·​er

ˈbes(t)-ˈsel-ər

: an article (as a book) whose sales are among the highest of its kind

best-selling

-ˈsel-iŋ

adjective