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
Siesta Beach – Siesta Key, Florida, U.S. Snagging the spot as Tripadvisor's second-best beach in the U.S.,Siesta Beach is located on the stunning barrier island of Siesta Key in Florida. Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024 The wing was starting to look like the guy who was the second-best player on a title team less than 24 months ago. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 He’s been a fixture on the Avs’ second-best line this season, along with Ross Colton and Miles Wood, but Bednar broke that group up recently and cited a decline in performance. Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2024 The Heat, which entered with the NBA’s second-best defensive rating since the start of February, allowed the Mavericks to total 114 points on 46 percent shooting from the field and 16-of-41 (39 percent) shooting from three-point range while committing only 10 turnovers. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 Braun has also blocked 19 shots, the second-best mark on the team. Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 The Timberwolves, who had won the last four games against the Clippers, entered the game a confident group that owned the best record in the West, second-best in the NBA. Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Following a phenomenal rookie season in Oklahoma City, he’s emerged as a budding superstar and is the second-best player on a top-three team in the entire NBA. Nick Crain, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 His average arm strength of 88 mph was also the second-best in MLB among catchers behind only Yanier Diaz (88.5 mph). Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 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 best

second-best

second birth

Cite this Entry

“Second-best.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second-best. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

second-best

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