as in defeating
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 besting
Their reward for besting the host twice in a row?
—
Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Sep. 2025
The set posts 200k in first-week units, not only besting even its Blurryface total from 2015, but also bettering the debut number from any other rock album yet this decade.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Sep. 2025
During the marathon, the singer logged an impressive time of under three-and-a-half hours, besting more than 20,000 other runners.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2025
But the fund is up roughly 26% since the beginning of the year, besting the iShares’ ETF performance.
—Krysta Escobar, CNBC, 19 Sep. 2025
The drone also features a new 48-mm Med-Tele mode, which is a zoom feature besting what was previously available in the DJI's Mini Pro line.
—New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2025
The besting tasting iced tea is brewed with cold water.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Sep. 2025
Despite how Cenat feels and a general shift in attitudes following Kendrick Lamar besting him during their 2024 rap feud, Drake remains the single most influential artist of his generation.
—Jessica Bennett, VIBE.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Removing this feature means that matches in Marvel Tōkon play out in a more classical sense like Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, where besting three or five rounds is the key to winning rather than just wiping out a team in one shot.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Sep. 2025
The set posts 200k in first-week units, not only besting even its Blurryface total from 2015, but also bettering the debut number from any other rock album yet this decade.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Sep. 2025
During the marathon, the singer logged an impressive time of under three-and-a-half hours, besting more than 20,000 other runners.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2025
But the fund is up roughly 26% since the beginning of the year, besting the iShares’ ETF performance.
—Krysta Escobar, CNBC, 19 Sep. 2025
The drone also features a new 48-mm Med-Tele mode, which is a zoom feature besting what was previously available in the DJI's Mini Pro line.
—New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2025
The besting tasting iced tea is brewed with cold water.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Sep. 2025
Despite how Cenat feels and a general shift in attitudes following Kendrick Lamar besting him during their 2024 rap feud, Drake remains the single most influential artist of his generation.
—Jessica Bennett, VIBE.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Removing this feature means that matches in Marvel Tōkon play out in a more classical sense like Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, where besting three or five rounds is the key to winning rather than just wiping out a team in one shot.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besting
Verb
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Holladay, 42, ran against Wing in 2024, with Wing narrowly defeating the Democratic challenger by a margin of 7,541 to 7,255.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions picked up another win, defeating the Cleveland Browns.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Marc Marquez says his latest MotoGP championship win carries a weight that goes beyond his statistics, describing it as the culmination of years spent overcoming injury, self-doubt and an inner battle to continue.—
Alex Harrington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
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In 2024, the Hurricanes started 9-0, including overcoming double-digit deficits against Virginia Tech, California and Duke in the early portion of its conference schedule.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For Minha, the biggest challenge was mastering the North Korean dialect.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
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While the core responsibility of a long snapper may look simple — hike a ball backward and let a punter or kicker do the rest — job security comes from mastering the many intricacies of the position.—
Greg Rosenstein,
NBC news,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Brown climbed the ladder to haul in a pass over the middle from Madsen, beating his defender in the air acrobatically before smashing into the end zone turf for the catch and a 33-14 lead.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Sep. 2025
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Pour the remaining milk mixture into egg mixture, beating to combine.—
Emily Teel,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The comeback began with Garrett Whitlock, the last vestige of the pitching staff from Boston’s most recent playoff run, taking the mound for the eighth inning.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
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Latin Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Feid, born Salomón Villada Hoyos, is taking his vocal talents to the world of fragrance.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After years of expanding their control over towns in the Lower Artibonite region, the armed group has now set its sights on conquering the Northwest, where Bassin Bleu is a gateway, and the port city of Port-de-Paix is the capital.—
Ychmuth Corneille,
Miami Herald,
21 Sep. 2025
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No doubt fans would embrace the arena evolution as simply the next rung on the band’s inevitable, world-conquering trajectory.—
Daniel Kohn,
Rolling Stone,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Earlier this month, the city passed an ordinance giving up city dispatching to Phillips County.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Sep. 2025
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Investigators reported that an alarm system alerted ride workers of an issue and prevented the operators from dispatching the ride.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Besting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besting. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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