: one that is below or after the best
: in second place
Examples of second-best in a Sentence
Noun
He won't settle for second best.
Recent Examples on the Web
Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 9 July 2024
The Phillies have the best record in the baseball, while the Dodgers have the second-best record in the NL and fourth-best overall.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2024
Tessa Hadley, The New Yorker, 23 June 2024
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
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
See all Example Sentences for second-best 
Adjective
FanDuel gives the Thunder the second-best odds to win the Finals next year — and the best in the West.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 9 July 2024
The Phillies have the best record in the baseball, while the Dodgers have the second-best record in the NL and fourth-best overall.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2024
Noun
Evelyn had a horror then of Sinden asking her to dance out of sheer obligation, taking second best.
—Tessa Hadley, The New Yorker, 23 June 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for second-best
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.
Dictionary Entries Near second-best
Cite this Entry
“Second-best.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second-best. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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