as in defeated
to achieve a victory over
at last she's bested her card-playing mother at the game of hearts
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Recent Examples of bested
Horror films directed by YouTubers in their 20s have broken records and bested Star Wars at the box office.
—
Ethan Beck, Washington Post, 1 June 2026
The mark bested the previous record set back in 2014.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 31 May 2026
On May 16, those pieces came together when students from The Bishop’s School in La Jolla bested teams from across the country to earn the title of national champion at the 24th American Rocketry Challenge finals in Virginia.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026
The pro-hockey Mavericks, who swept their first two playoff series of the postseason, were bested by the Fort Wayne Komets in Game 2 of this series — the Western Conference Finals.
—Jeff Rosen, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026
The Knicks bested the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93 during Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference Monday night, securing their spot in the upcoming championship series for the first time in more than two decades.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 26 May 2026
Princeton men’s lacrosse bested Notre Dame 16-9 yesterday for its first NCAA title since 2001.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Drake has taken nine of the top 10 slots on the Hot 100 for the second time in his career, a rare feat that only Taylor Swift has bested, as the superstar has taken up all 10 slots three times since 2022.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 26 May 2026
The trio bested the previous record of 30 stairs set back in 2014, according to Guinness World Records.
—Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 25 May 2026
Ethan Beck, Washington Post, 1 June 2026
The mark bested the previous record set back in 2014.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 31 May 2026
On May 16, those pieces came together when students from The Bishop’s School in La Jolla bested teams from across the country to earn the title of national champion at the 24th American Rocketry Challenge finals in Virginia.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026
The pro-hockey Mavericks, who swept their first two playoff series of the postseason, were bested by the Fort Wayne Komets in Game 2 of this series — the Western Conference Finals.
—Jeff Rosen, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026
The Knicks bested the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93 during Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference Monday night, securing their spot in the upcoming championship series for the first time in more than two decades.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 26 May 2026
Princeton men’s lacrosse bested Notre Dame 16-9 yesterday for its first NCAA title since 2001.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Drake has taken nine of the top 10 slots on the Hot 100 for the second time in his career, a rare feat that only Taylor Swift has bested, as the superstar has taken up all 10 slots three times since 2022.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 26 May 2026
The trio bested the previous record of 30 stairs set back in 2014, according to Guinness World Records.
—Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 25 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bested
Verb
-
Schumaker was on the Cardinals team that in 2011 that defeated the Rangers in seven games to win the World Series.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 June 2026
-
Georgia defeated Mississippi State 11-9 in 10 innings on Sunday to sweep the Athens Super Regional and clinch the school’s first trip back to the College World Series since 2008.—
Hunter DeLauder,
AJC.com,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
End-of-grade assessments are meant to measure if students have mastered the grade-appropriate content laid out in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2026
-
Rather than hiring dozens of new staffers to helm these properties, the media companies are trying to find areas of expertise already mastered by current employees.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
The Miami Hurricanes overcame the first-inning implosion on Saturday night, one in which poor pitching from AJ Ciscar and poor defense behind him allowed the Florida Gators to score six runs in the winner’s bracket game in the Gainesville Regional of the NCAA tournament.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
31 May 2026
-
La Mirada scored two runs in the fifth inning, but Escobar closed out well and overcame walking five batters.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Supposedly the poem was inspired by a peyote-vision where the edifice of San Francisco’s Sir Francis Drake Hotel was transformed into a hideous, twisted, demonic visage, which inspired the beating heart of Howl’s second section.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
-
Matt Olson’s solo home run in the sixth inning proved to be the difference Tuesday as the Braves beat the visiting Blue Jays 4-3 at Truist Park, beginning the three-game series with their 15th series-opening victory of the season.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Brendan Banfield and the 26-year-old au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, both took the stand during the double-murder trial and offered conflicting accounts about the killings.—
Nicki Brown,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
-
Throughout the trial, stress took an enormous toll on Jackson, defense attorney Mark Geragos said in the docuseries.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2026
Verb
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The inventor of the Basque cheesecake, a dessert that has conquered the world, will retire next year, leaving behind a legacy that has reshaped menus globally.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
1 June 2026
-
Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger conquered DWTS season 10 with Derek Hough, and she's been unstoppable ever since.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Root got a strike past Babe, and did those Cub bench jockeys holler and hiss!—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
-
The moment came in the fifth inning when Freeland got Milwaukee third baseman Luis Rengifo to fly out to deep center field.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
According to the warrant affidavit used to support a first-degree manslaughter charge against Magnano, Prescott said the then-officer was not dispatched to the scene but took it upon himself to respond, hitting speeds of more than 80 mph to get there.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
5 June 2026
-
But the top name on Hollywood’s A-list required that the car more accurately portray his own signature swagger and, despite there being so few of the examples dressed by Rollston, had his new acquisition dispatched to Bohman & Schwartz, a coachworks in Pasadena, Calif.—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bested.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bested. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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