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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Recent Examples of besting Even the National Weather Service’s Oxnard station wasn’t spared — topping out at 87 degrees, besting a record of 85 set in 1931. — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 The potentially final chapter of LIV's story being closed out with La Sasso besting the two biggest LIV stars was certainly a scene. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 The British-Argentine actor’s point has less to do with her conflicted con artist cheating death numerous times and besting her mobster in-laws, as well as the FBI. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for besting

Verb

Top Plays from Jets @ Titans To an outside observer, what happened Sunday afternoon — a team with low expectations defeating a Tennessee Titans team with even lower expectations — might not seem all that meaningful.

— Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
The Kangaroos accomplished that goal, defeating Paschal 31-18 and entering district competition on a positive note.

— Gavin Vieck, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of defeating

Verb

This design continually reflects the laser inside the stream via total internal reflection, overcoming the need for focal-point or Rayleigh-length adjustments.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
Augusto, Marrero, Hernández and countless others have little choice but to figure things out which, in Cuban parlance, means overcoming whatever obstacle is placed in their way.

— Juan Carlos López, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of overcoming

Verb

Data from the firm shows that, from 1991 through 2025, firms trading at more than 20 times earnings have a mixed track record at delivering inflation-beating returns over the subsequent 10 years.

— Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
And amazingly, though perhaps not surprisingly, Zverev has been able to collect those two trophies without beating either Alcaraz or Sinner all year.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of beating

Verb

After taking a short corner and getting the ball back, Savio turned down a chance to cross and chose to chop instead.

— Stuart James, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
The Moon opposes intense Pluto, exposing a routine or responsibility that has been taking more out of you than expected.

— Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of taking

Verb

Speaking of those chickens, Schreiber—whose fear of poultry started as a child, when his hippie parents moved the family to a commune in Canada—seems to be successfully conquering this particular anxiety.

— Ingrid Abramovitch, Architectural Digest, 10 Sep. 2026
John Deacon, Queen The members of Queen were magpies who could throw just about anything, from opera to rockabilly, into their world-conquering arena rock.

— Al Shipley, SPIN, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of conquering

Verb

Instead of dispatching a service van ($150 to $300 in fuel and labor) and navigating traffic, the technician accessed the multitenant dashboard.

— Robert Messer, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Two McDonald’s trailers were dispatching Quarter-pounders and Chicken McNuggets with the same military efficiency shown at the restaurants.

— Devin Friedman, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 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 19 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of besting

verb

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