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
New Mom School was named a Rising Star, besting fellow nominees Arms Cyber Defense and Ethos.
—
Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 5 Apr. 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, 4 Apr. 2026
Sure enough, the project landed at Number One with more than 150,000 album-equivalent units moved in its opening week, besting the Weeknd’s Dawn FM by a modest 2,300 units.
—Kyle Eustice, VIBE.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Rincan won his first four matches, besting Jayden Espinoza of Arizona, Marquavious Lane of Georgia, Robby Newton of Rhode Island and Jared Goodwon of Virginia.
—Barry Scanlon, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2026
While its regular season wasn't amazing, Kansas is loaded with talent as usual — and Pitino thinks the Jayhawks could be one of the few teams capable of besting the Johnnies' power and strength in the post.
—ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
Phoenix soared to 102 degrees on Tuesday, easily besting its previous March record of 100 degrees.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
Woodland Hills’ temperature peaked at 100, besting a temperature of 92 degrees in 1997.
—City News Service, Daily News, 19 Mar. 2026
Bugatti set the production car top speed record in 2010 with a 267 mph run in a Veyron Super Sport, besting an effort five years earlier that saw a Veyron go 253 mph.
—Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2026
Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 5 Apr. 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, 4 Apr. 2026
Sure enough, the project landed at Number One with more than 150,000 album-equivalent units moved in its opening week, besting the Weeknd’s Dawn FM by a modest 2,300 units.
—Kyle Eustice, VIBE.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Rincan won his first four matches, besting Jayden Espinoza of Arizona, Marquavious Lane of Georgia, Robby Newton of Rhode Island and Jared Goodwon of Virginia.
—Barry Scanlon, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2026
While its regular season wasn't amazing, Kansas is loaded with talent as usual — and Pitino thinks the Jayhawks could be one of the few teams capable of besting the Johnnies' power and strength in the post.
—ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
Phoenix soared to 102 degrees on Tuesday, easily besting its previous March record of 100 degrees.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
Woodland Hills’ temperature peaked at 100, besting a temperature of 92 degrees in 1997.
—City News Service, Daily News, 19 Mar. 2026
Bugatti set the production car top speed record in 2010 with a 267 mph run in a Veyron Super Sport, besting an effort five years earlier that saw a Veyron go 253 mph.
—Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besting
Verb
-
Head coach Dusty May of the Michigan Wolverines hoists the trophy after defeating the UConn Huskies 69-63 in the national championship of the 2026 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 6, 2026, in Indianapolis, Indiana.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The UConn Huskies men’s basketball team is headed back to the national championship game for the third time in the last four years after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini, 71-62, in the Final Four.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But at the end of the day, Pasricha said, normalizing people doing human things in our homes without judgment and overcoming this embarrassment are important.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
-
And, in a perfectly fitting twist, UConn can cement that status by overcoming a Michigan powerhouse that is racking up historically impressive numbers, hoping to go down as one of the sport's greatest teams itself.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The original series ran on Disney Channel from 2007 to 2012, following the Russo family as its three siblings navigated the challenges of adolescence while mastering their magical abilities.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The Gators’ strongest player pound-for-pound, Baugh is also committed to mastering the details of the offense.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Willacy, who received the death penalty for beating his neighbor with a hammer and setting her on fire in 1990 in Palm Bay, Florida, is scheduled to be executed on April 21.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Meanwhile, UConn earned a ticket to the final game after beating Illinois, 71-62, in hopes of earning its seventh championship title.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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So far, he's picked up and dropped off about ten people, taking them to anything from doctor's appointments to haircuts.—
Carmela Karcher,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Rhyne did not advocate for taking money from the state’s $625 million school voucher program to fund public schools.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Basically, look for a design that looks like as though was made for walking in the Mediterranean, but also for conquering the city streets.—
Alex Sales,
Glamour,
9 Apr. 2026
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After conquering the internet underground, perhaps Yeat believes that stadium status is all that’s left.—
Mosi Reeves,
Rolling Stone,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For generations, 911 operators have been the backbone of the American emergency response network, answering calls for help, and then dispatching and coordinating police and firefighters, SWAT teams, mental-health counselors and animal-control officers.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
6 Apr. 2026
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The event was private, but the German tabloid Bild had staked it out, dispatching from Munich a long-lens photographer named Robert Gongoll.—
Simon Akam,
Vanity Fair,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Besting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besting. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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