second-best

1 of 3

adjective

sec·​ond-best ˌse-kən(d)-ˈbest 

-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

Of the 295,000 units Grande registered for the week, album sales were responsible for 168,000 of those, adding up to her second-best sales week ever, according to Billboard. — Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Aug. 2026

And Fightland, which was released last week, had the second-best debut of any Starz original. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026

Noun

April is historically the second best performing month for the S & P 500 and only trails behind November, according to the Stock Trader’s Almanac. — Itzel Franco, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026

Surprisingly, the control group that received just water was doing second best, with the stems still standing stiff and only the outer petals showing a few signs of wilting. — Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 13 Feb. 2026

Adverb

That's the second best-performing sector of the year behind energy, which has soared 34%. — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2026

In three meetings with the East Yorkshire club this season, Phil Parkinson’s side have been distinctly second best. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026

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

Rhymes for second-best

• acquiesced
• coalesced
• dispossessed
• manifest
• overdressed
• overstressed
• prepossessed
• reassessed
• reinvest
• repossessed
• unaddressed
• uncompressed

Kids Definition

second-best

adjective

: next to the best