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
While the vacuum industry is besting itself over the years, including robot helpers with AI capabilities, cordless vacuums are not lagging behind thanks to slimmer, more streamlined bodies, longer run times, and upgraded wet-dry features.
—
Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 3 Sep. 2025
With that gross, the play, written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, also broke a house Hayes Theater, besting the tally brought in by Appropriate, another Jacobs-Jenkins play, last season.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Fleetwood won by three shots over Patrick Cantlay and Russell Henley, besting the field with a -18 in the PGA Tour season finale.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Kvitova won Wimbledon again in 2014, besting Eugenie Bouchard.
—Jill Martin, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2025
As banks around the world prepare to replace many thousands of workers with AI, Australia's biggest bank is scrambling to rehire 45 workers after allegedly lying about chatbots besting staff by handling higher call volumes.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2025
Between the president’s 2017 inauguration and former President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, the S & P 500 soared about 70%, besting the Russell 2000 index’s roughly 60% gain.
—Sean Conlon, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, Season 17 of original Drag Race wrapped in April, with Onya Nurve emerging as America’s Next Drag Superstar, besting fellow finalists Jewels Sparkles, Sam Star and Lexi Love.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 20 Aug. 2025
Paul has been an absolute menace in training camp, besting some of the Dolphins’ top edge rushers in Bradley Chubb and Chop Robinson.
—Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 3 Sep. 2025
With that gross, the play, written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, also broke a house Hayes Theater, besting the tally brought in by Appropriate, another Jacobs-Jenkins play, last season.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Fleetwood won by three shots over Patrick Cantlay and Russell Henley, besting the field with a -18 in the PGA Tour season finale.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Kvitova won Wimbledon again in 2014, besting Eugenie Bouchard.
—Jill Martin, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2025
As banks around the world prepare to replace many thousands of workers with AI, Australia's biggest bank is scrambling to rehire 45 workers after allegedly lying about chatbots besting staff by handling higher call volumes.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2025
Between the president’s 2017 inauguration and former President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, the S & P 500 soared about 70%, besting the Russell 2000 index’s roughly 60% gain.
—Sean Conlon, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, Season 17 of original Drag Race wrapped in April, with Onya Nurve emerging as America’s Next Drag Superstar, besting fellow finalists Jewels Sparkles, Sam Star and Lexi Love.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 20 Aug. 2025
Paul has been an absolute menace in training camp, besting some of the Dolphins’ top edge rushers in Bradley Chubb and Chop Robinson.
—Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besting
Verb
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Auburn opened the season by defeating visiting Baylor by two touchdowns, a good win to begin with and one that looks better after the Bears outlasted SMU.—
Tom Layberger,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz won his second US Open title, defeating Italian rival Jannik Sinner in four thrilling sets.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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He was reminded that his career had been shaped by overcoming doubts and slights going back to high school, when he was offered the same amount of Division I football scholarships that were offered to the average sportswriter who covers him.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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But by the end, in its rush, the movie still hasn’t quite come up with a point of view on whether McCartney really got over his bust-up with Lennon with a little help from his Wings friends, or whether forming a band was ultimately incidental to overcoming any lingering separation anxiety.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Moving forward, mastering a personal podcast could replace soft-focus biographies or wonky books as a way for politicians to increase their profiles.—
David Bauder,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
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For wardrobe stylist Kathryne Cole, mastering the fit is key to styling wide-leg jeans for your body type.—
Jessie Quinn,
Flow Space,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Jays spent much of their 2025 rise beating up on the Yankees, and three September games at Yankee Stadium presented a chance for one last jab.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Needless to say, beating the Jets was a good feeling for the 41-year-old signal caller.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Physio Ash Pracy departs while head of women’s physio Amy Cranston is also taking maternity leave on a temporary basis.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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Kelce then helped the Chiefs by taking one for the team.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Even after the company turned much of its attention towards other genres — conquering the planet with World of Warcraft — StarCraft 2 arrived in 2010 to critical and player acclaim.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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My mission in life is to empower leaders to cultivate inner mastery and empathy, knowing that true strength comes from conquering inner battles and developing a growth mindset.—
Dr. Adil Dalal,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Lee said the ministry is dispatching diplomats from its embassy in Washington and consulate in Atlanta to the site, and planning to form an on-site response team.—
Kim Tong-Hyung,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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The plan is to pass the bill produced by that negotiation first through the House and then send it to the Senate before dispatching it to Trump for his signature.—
Alexander Bolton,
The Hill,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Besting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besting. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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