as in defeating
to achieve a victory over
at last she's bested her card-playing mother at the game of hearts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of besting
The three-game series had a season-high attendance of 105,214, besting the three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers in May that drew 82,799.
—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
25 June 2026
After emerging from Hyundai in 2016, Genesis focused on premium features and a unique customer service model, besting its competition on price.
—
Scotty Reiss,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
The 44-year-old and her doubles partner, the 19-year-old Victoria Mboko, ended up besting the third seed in their opening match of the Queen’s Club tournament.
—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
20 June 2026
Gene Sarazen won the second-ever Augusta National Invitational Tournament in 1935, besting Craig Wood in a 36-hole playoff.
—
Justin Ray,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
This was a record turnaround among SpaceX launches from Space Coast launch pads at 2 hours and 54 minutes besting October’s double launch that saw a Falcon 9 launch at CCSFS just eight hours, 42 minutes after a Falcon Heavy launch at KSC.
—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 June 2026
The Hong Kong exchange was first in the world by IPO funds raised last year — besting the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq, which came second and third respectively — according to KPMG, which noted that strong momentum in 2025 continued in the first quarter of this year.
—
Evelyn Cheng,lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
8 June 2026
Hochul also secured several notable reforms impacting the maddeningly high auto insurance rates in New York, besting one of the most potent lobbies in the Capitol, the trial lawyers.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2026
Coral came out of the Women’s Open Division on top, besting three-time national team members Christina Gasparich and Calla Allison.
—
Kyle Kensing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 May 2026
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
25 June 2026
After emerging from Hyundai in 2016, Genesis focused on premium features and a unique customer service model, besting its competition on price.
—
Scotty Reiss,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
The 44-year-old and her doubles partner, the 19-year-old Victoria Mboko, ended up besting the third seed in their opening match of the Queen’s Club tournament.
—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
20 June 2026
Gene Sarazen won the second-ever Augusta National Invitational Tournament in 1935, besting Craig Wood in a 36-hole playoff.
—
Justin Ray,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
This was a record turnaround among SpaceX launches from Space Coast launch pads at 2 hours and 54 minutes besting October’s double launch that saw a Falcon 9 launch at CCSFS just eight hours, 42 minutes after a Falcon Heavy launch at KSC.
—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 June 2026
The Hong Kong exchange was first in the world by IPO funds raised last year — besting the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq, which came second and third respectively — according to KPMG, which noted that strong momentum in 2025 continued in the first quarter of this year.
—
Evelyn Cheng,lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
8 June 2026
Hochul also secured several notable reforms impacting the maddeningly high auto insurance rates in New York, besting one of the most potent lobbies in the Capitol, the trial lawyers.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2026
Coral came out of the Women’s Open Division on top, besting three-time national team members Christina Gasparich and Calla Allison.
—
Kyle Kensing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besting
Verb
-
Head coach Dusty May of the Michigan Wolverines hoists the trophy after defeating the UConn Huskies 69-63.
-
Leviatán has been crowned Valorant Masters London champions, defeating Paper Rex 3-2 in a dramatic grand final.
Verb
-
Biden, who has spoken at length about overcoming drug addiction, claims to be at least $15 million in debt.
-
Many training programs for travel consultants (or really for anybody who works in sales) include tactics on overcoming objections.
Verb
-
For resistance training, that may mean starting with lighter weights and mastering technique before increasing load.
-
Moving beyond self-expression, the goal for McKendrick has become mastering the art of turning private experiences into universal ones.
Verb
-
And while the titular ambulance chaser naturally holds court for six seasons (beating Breaking Bad by one), equally excellent turns by Jonathan Banks and Rhea Seehorn ensure this multi-award-winning series works as both the perfect prequel and a bingeable standalone drama.
-
White won by a 2-point margin, beating Shaikh by just under 400 votes.
Verb
-
On Election Day, Schlossberg was campaigning out in the rain despite the concerning polls, hearing stories from passersby about their Kennedy encounters over the years and taking selfies with starstruck supporters.
-
Starting at age 10, kids can also sign up as counselors-in-training, helping younger campers in the morning and taking classes with their own age group in the afternoon.
Verb
-
Olivia Rodrigo Finally Hits the Downloads Chart’s Summit Rodrigo has come very close to conquering the Official Album Downloads chart in the past, but her first two studio LPs missed the throne by just one space.
-
For decades, biologists thought that early tetrapods, ancient vertebrates that started conquering the land over 300 million years ago, developed like modern amphibians—beginning their lives as purely aquatic tadpoles and then metamorphosing into terrestrial adults.
Verb
-
The Netherlands had absolutely no problems dispatching Sweden in Houston as Cody Gakpo inspired Ronald Koeman’s side to an emphatic 5-1 win.
-
Lyft has top-tier pricing, matching and dispatching algorithms and other infrastructure that could enable it to maximize AV utilization, per the investment firm.
Cite this Entry
“Besting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besting. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
