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
Full-year revenue guidance is expected to range between $225 million and $245 million, besting the consensus forecast of $191 million.
—
Fred Imbert, CNBC, 26 Feb. 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, 24 Feb. 2026
In the 1000m and the 500m races, Stolz skated head to head against de Boo in time trials, narrowly besting him both times.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 17 Feb. 2026
His conservative Bhumjaithai Party won the most seats in Thailand’s general election on Sunday, besting a progressive movement that had been surging for years but lost its shine amid rising nationalism and economic doldrums.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 Feb. 2026
Penny won best in show on Tuesday at the 150th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, besting six other finalists.
—Martha Teichner, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
That gold came in the men’s competition, with a team led by John Shuster upsetting Canada in the semifinals, then besting Sweden in the final.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
By painting rivals as tools of the Jews, hard-right influencers such as Carlson and Bannon hope to delegitimize the competition not by besting their ideas, but by slurring their loyalties and identity.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
The Southern Alberta club last played on Thursday, besting the Diamond Valley Rockies in a shootout.
—Eric Stephens, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Fred Imbert, CNBC, 26 Feb. 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, 24 Feb. 2026
In the 1000m and the 500m races, Stolz skated head to head against de Boo in time trials, narrowly besting him both times.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 17 Feb. 2026
His conservative Bhumjaithai Party won the most seats in Thailand’s general election on Sunday, besting a progressive movement that had been surging for years but lost its shine amid rising nationalism and economic doldrums.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 Feb. 2026
Penny won best in show on Tuesday at the 150th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, besting six other finalists.
—Martha Teichner, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
That gold came in the men’s competition, with a team led by John Shuster upsetting Canada in the semifinals, then besting Sweden in the final.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
By painting rivals as tools of the Jews, hard-right influencers such as Carlson and Bannon hope to delegitimize the competition not by besting their ideas, but by slurring their loyalties and identity.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
The Southern Alberta club last played on Thursday, besting the Diamond Valley Rockies in a shootout.
—Eric Stephens, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besting
Verb
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Texas State men's basketball finished the regular season with a bang, defeating App State 60-57 to squeeze its way into a six-way tie for second place in the Sun Belt.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
2 Mar. 2026
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Mater Dei celebrated its return to the top of CIF Southern Section boys soccer by defeating rival Orange Lutheran 2-0 in the Open Division final at El Modena High on Saturday.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The rehabilitation itself will be expensive, and its success will depend on wooing private investors and overcoming a half-decade of adverse publicity.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
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His Ducks rallied to beat two-time defending conference champion Edmonton in their return from the Olympic break, overcoming a pair of two-goal deficits and another one-goal deficit during their frenetic four-goal third period.—
Greg Beacham,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After the death of his gangster father, a teen in 1960s Japan is adopted by a kabuki actor and dedicates himself to mastering the theatrical art.—
Travis Pinson,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Feb. 2026
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In the rapidly evolving world of engineering technology, professionals devote enormous energy to such tasks as mastering the latest frameworks, optimizing architectures, and refining machine learning models.—
Angelique Parashis,
IEEE Spectrum,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Gonzales was struggling to hold his 23rd District even before the scandal, barely beating 2nd Amendment activist and content creator Brandon Herrera in 2024; Herrera is running again, along with Quico Canseco, a one-term congressman who’s made multiple comeback attempts.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
3 Mar. 2026
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The Lakers’ 41-year-old star buried three 3-pointers in the second half, the first one beating the third-quarter buzzer for a 96-76 lead.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After sweeping España and taking an emotional victory over defending MLS Cup champion Inter Miami in front of 75,000 fans at the Coliseum, LAFC visits Houston for a league match on Saturday having outscored the opposition 10-1.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
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So instead of taking the shot, Doncic passed the ball to James.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And no one on the left has shown up to work dressed like a conquering Nazi general swanning through the streets of Smolensk, the way Bovino did in the Midwest.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
23 Feb. 2026
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Few, if any, gave them a chance against the all-conquering Soviets, especially given the fact the American team had been humbled 10-3 in an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden just days before the Games started.—
Patrick Snell,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Hruby pinned all three opponents so far in less than a minute, including dispatching Discovery Canyon’s Sophia Flores in 48 seconds in the semifinals.—
Nate Peterson,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
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The very act of dispatching armed soldiers to the parliament building and transporting them by helicopter constituted acts of insurrection, Ji said.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Besting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besting. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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