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
Their climax came on June 9, when McCarthy was bested by Joseph Welch, the Army’s chief counsel and a man possessed of a laser-sharp legal mind and a wicked sense of humor.
—
Kristen Monroe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
In that race, Adam Gray bested Republican incumbent John Duarte by only a few hundred votes.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 15 Feb. 2026
McBath bested Bourdeaux in the primary and easily won the general election that November.
—Literary Hub, 9 Feb. 2026
His teammates rallied behind him — including Sakamoto, men’s short program winner Yuma Kagiyama (who bested Malinin with a truly exceptional showing) and pairs favorites Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara — commending the rock solid performance.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 8 Feb. 2026
Grace Leung scored 14 points, while Emma Smith had 12 points as Bishop Feehan bested Cardinal Spellman 46-17 in the Catholic Central League.
—Tyler McManus, Boston Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
The small, spry breed just became eligible for the Westminster show this year, and Millie bested about 10 other farmdogs Tuesday afternoon to get to the evening round.
—CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
In hypothetical general election match-ups, McMorrow bested Rogers by 3 points, with 12 percent undecided.
—Julia Mueller, The Hill, 29 Jan. 2026
Marshall scored 18 points with six rebounds, but was bested by Randle’s game-high 31 points with five rebounds and four assists.
—Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
Kristen Monroe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
In that race, Adam Gray bested Republican incumbent John Duarte by only a few hundred votes.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 15 Feb. 2026
McBath bested Bourdeaux in the primary and easily won the general election that November.
—Literary Hub, 9 Feb. 2026
His teammates rallied behind him — including Sakamoto, men’s short program winner Yuma Kagiyama (who bested Malinin with a truly exceptional showing) and pairs favorites Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara — commending the rock solid performance.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 8 Feb. 2026
Grace Leung scored 14 points, while Emma Smith had 12 points as Bishop Feehan bested Cardinal Spellman 46-17 in the Catholic Central League.
—Tyler McManus, Boston Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
The small, spry breed just became eligible for the Westminster show this year, and Millie bested about 10 other farmdogs Tuesday afternoon to get to the evening round.
—CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
In hypothetical general election match-ups, McMorrow bested Rogers by 3 points, with 12 percent undecided.
—Julia Mueller, The Hill, 29 Jan. 2026
Marshall scored 18 points with six rebounds, but was bested by Randle’s game-high 31 points with five rebounds and four assists.
—Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bested
Verb
-
Tyler, competing in the 138-pound bracket, defeated Melissa’s Jaxon Johnson in the title match via 6-1 decision.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Eduards Tralmaks and Renars Krastenbergs scored just more than three minutes apart, and Latvia defeated Germany 4-3.—
Stephen Whyno,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Each of them had mastered the master-class circuit; none had needed help with where to sleep.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
-
For this Welsh immigrant family rose from nothing to produce an American icon who mastered a distinctly American art form — the ultimate apotheosis of the American Dream — and who is, ironically, the most miserable of them all.—
Ben Croll,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Takaichi’s popularity with voters helped more than 90% of LDP candidates win their seats, including 41 out of 43 of her colleagues who overcame the stain of financial scandals to secure voter support.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
15 Feb. 2026
-
France’s Mathis Desloges, who has taken two silvers so far, pulled his team into medal position during the third leg of the race, while Italy’s Federico Pellegrino overcame Finland in the anchor leg to take bronze on home soil in his last Olympics.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Liam Gagne recorded 24 saves and Billerica rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Milton 3-2 in the first round of the Irish American Shootout.—
Kristina Banahan,
Boston Herald,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Skincare delivered €551 million in sales and represented 11% of the group’s full-year revenue, beating market expectations.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Vogue,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The protesters took a violent turn at several points during that week.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
In total, the design process took three years to complete with collaboration from several researchers and engineers.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Her victory continues the comeback theme – a narrative of paths conquered, attempted, thwarted and ongoing – that has come to define the alpine women skiers of these 2026 Games.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Volcker went down in history as the man who conquered inflation, laying the foundation for decades of American prosperity.—
Steve Chapman,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But Wemby got his painfully cool peers to play along, to pick up the tempo – and their defense, often at half court.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
16 Feb. 2026
-
As a plant biologist, Kato knew that bioplastics could be made from plants and got curious about the possibilities.—
TRAVIS LOLLER,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
More than 40 paramedics and 18 emergency vehicles were dispatched to the scene.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The Mexican government has dispatched humanitarian aid to the people of Cuba aboard two ships of the Mexican Navy.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bested.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bested. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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