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
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
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The first ever major league game to be played in Europe resulted in the Yankees defeating the Red Sox 17-13 in front of 60,000 spectators at London Olympic Stadium.
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The team displayed impressive form in the preliminary tournament qualifiers, winning all eight of its matches, scoring 37 goals, and defeating four-time World Cup champions Italy twice.
Verb
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Forward-looking firms are overcoming this by deploying advanced technical strategies.
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Normal matter can’t be stuffed into a space tiny and dense enough without overcoming a huge outward pressure.
Verb
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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
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El Tri won its first knockout match at a World Cup since 1986, beating Ecuador 2-0 on Tuesday night at the majestic Azteca Stadium packed with 80,824 fans.
-
In May, just weeks before the ruling, the athlete won the West Virginia Class AAA girls’ shot put state championship with a throw of 38 feet, 11¾ inches, beating the runner-up by just over two feet.
Verb
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Kotsay said Monday that Morris would be used out of the bullpen this time, taking Suarez’s spot.
-
The dangerous heat is taking a toll across the Chicago area, especially for families without air conditioning.
Verb
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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.
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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
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After dispatching Zayn, a new challenger for his title has emerged.
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By storing excess renewable power and dispatching it when needed, the CO2 Battery is expected to help balance the grid while reducing the need for costly transmission upgrades.
Cite this Entry
“Besting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besting. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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