BESTING Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

besting

verb

present participle of best

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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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 year ended up with a record 109 missions, besting the 93 flown in 2024 when the 50th mission was on July 8. — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026 This was the highest average ticket price of the week, besting Hamilton’s average ticket price by $4. — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2026 Samsung promises seven years of OS and security updates, besting Motorola's commitment of three years for OS upgrades and five years for security updates. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 3 Aug. 2026 Miami hit 96 Thursday afternoon, besting the previous 95 degree record set in 2015. — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026 Banks scored from seven of the shooting zones during the two rounds, besting six from Delle Donne and four from Shakira Austin. — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 28 July 2026 And by exceeding expectations so spectacularly on nomination morning, Widow’s Bay seized the thrust in the comedy category despite Hacks’s superior nomination count (24 nominations, besting its previous high of 17 nominations in 2022). — Joe Reid, Vulture, 25 July 2026 Financial markets have noticed, and CPU incumbents AMD and Intel are among the two best-performing chip stocks so far in 2026, up 128% and 149% respectively, besting Nvidia’s rise of 8%. — Kif Leswing, CNBC, 21 July 2026 Trump ripped up that deal in 2018 and has been obsessed with besting it with his own. — Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for besting

Verb

The Minnesota Twins are also two games back after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 8-6 on Friday.

— LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2026
But the technology for defeating ballistic missiles has advanced significantly since the Cold War.

— Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of defeating

Verb

Beyond his fighting career, McGee is celebrated for his inspirational journey of overcoming drug addiction, having been sober for over two decades.

— Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
But he’ll best be known for overcoming a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, suffered in 1974.

— David K. Li, NBC news, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of overcoming

Verb

Saldaña has also spoken about the challenge of mastering Sheridan’s dialogue, previously telling PEOPLE that the role helped her confront both her dyslexia and anxiety because of the preparation required.

— Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026
Saldaña has also spoken about the challenge of mastering Sheridan's dialogue, previously telling People that the role helped her confront both her dyslexia and anxiety because of the preparation required.

— Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of mastering

Verb

Even had Guardiola stayed on, City would probably be playing a more direct brand of football next season, with players more suited to beating a man and covering ground than playing a thousand million passes.

— Sam Lee, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026
He was initially handed a 3 1/2-year sentence in 2022 when he was convicted of beating a police officer after being taken off a train for causing a disturbance.

— CBS News, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of beating

Verb

Towns and cities are enacting bans on construction seemingly by the day, including in nearby areas in Washington, out of fears of higher electricity bills, pollution and AI taking their jobs.

— Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Skubal also issued two walks and hit a batter with a pitch in just his second career appearance at Dodger Stadium, taking the mound nine days after the defending champions acquired him from Detroit in the biggest trade of the deadline.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of taking

Verb

The all-conquering Liverpool side of the 1980s were twice fortunate to escape with a 1-1 draw, too.

— Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
In the eighteenth century, while Russia fixated on conquering Eurasia, Britain developed the steam engine; in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, while Europeans fought over Africa, Americans mastered the assembly line.

— Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of conquering

Verb

With fires now happening everywhere all at once, nations will be constrained in their ability to come to each other’s aid by dispatching firefighters and equipment.

— Bloomberg, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026
Weiss dramatically overhauled the program in May and June, dispatching half the on-air staff and several senior producers.

— Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of dispatching

Browse Nearby Words

bestiary

besting

bestir

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“Besting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besting. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of besting

verb

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