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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 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, 29 June 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 Beaten by Evert in the 1975 Wimbledon semifinals, Navratilova turned the tide, besting Evert in the tournament in '78 and '79. — Eileen Finan, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026 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 Onley enjoyed a successful Tour last summer with only Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Florian Lipowitz besting him, and the latter rider the only one to finish faster in the white jersey (youth) classification. — Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besting
  1. defeating
  2. overcoming
  3. mastering
  4. beating
  5. taking
  6. conquering
  7. dispatching
Verb
  • The girls posted a 6-2 record at the state tournament in a field of 50 of Southern California’s top 12U teams with several extra-inning and walk-off wins, defeating multiple district champions, including San Juan Capistrano and Oxnard.
    — News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2026
  • Another democratic socialist, 29-year-old Melat Kiros, won a congressional primary in Colorado on June 30, defeating a longtime Democratic incumbent.
    — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 5 July 2026
Definition of defeating
Verb
  • Norway reached the quarterfinal with a 2-1 win over Brazil on Sunday and England advanced with a thrilling 3-2 victory over host Mexico after overcoming a weather delay, red card, altitude and a raucous crowd at 80,000-seat Estadio Azteca.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
  • Lionel Messi and Argentina avoided one of the biggest ever World Cup knockout shocks by overcoming Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time of a jaw-dropping game.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of overcoming
Verb
  • In an era where AI automates many startup tasks, mastering Strategic Fit—discovering the optimal market alignment faster than competitors—is becoming the paramount competitive advantage for founders aiming to build billion-dollar enterprises.
    — Dileep Rao, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Netanyahu, 76, has spent decades mastering political theater, sharp messaging and grand performances.
    — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 29 June 2026
Definition of mastering
Verb
  • Switzerland topped Group B ahead of co-host Canada after beating Les Rouges 2-1 in its final group game, which came after an emphatic 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina and a 1-1 draw against Qatar in its opener.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
  • The host won the opening match by an innings and 217 runs and needs only a draw to claim its first series win in the World Test Championship since beating Bangladesh in the Caribbean in 2022.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 July 2026
Definition of beating
Verb
  • The Heat is also taking a patient approach in filling out its roster for next season because a few accomplished players could soon become available on the buyout market.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026
  • Future solar missions are now going to have to start taking dust into account, said Ayaz, with dedicated detectors designed to measure dust's properties close to the Sun.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of taking
Verb
  • After not allowing any home runs in back-to-back starts against the Colorado Rockies, even conquering Coors Field’s hitter-friendly park, Imanaga surrendered three in Wednesday’s Game 2 win over the New York Mets.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
  • 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.
    — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
Definition of conquering
Verb
  • And the first round this year certainly had its shining moments – from demolishing Paraguay to tidily dispatching Australia.
    — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 30 June 2026
  • After dazzling in their opening match of this World Cup and dispatching Croatia 4-2, some felt a sense of foreboding when Ghana held Thomas Tuchel’s side to a 0-0 draw in their second.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of dispatching

Browse Nearby Words

bestiary
besting
bestir
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Cite this Entry

“Besting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besting. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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