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 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
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, 8 June 2026
Messi and Argentina arrive as reigning champions after besting France in the 2022 finale, an all-timer that went down to a penalty shootout.
—Kaya Kaynak, New York Times, 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
After winning the contest in 1987, Jordan took home consecutive trophies after besting rival Dominique Wilkins with an unforgettable dunk from the free-throw line.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 20 May 2026
After returning to the Bronx for the first time since besting the Yankees in four games in the American League Division Series, the Blue Jays’ struggles of this season continued.
—Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Hill, a lifelong independent, raised more than $780,000 in the first three months of the year, besting Democrat Matt Schultz, a pastor, who raised $578,000 from last October through March.
—Steve Peoples, Fortune, 15 May 2026
Evelyn Cheng,lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 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, 8 June 2026
Messi and Argentina arrive as reigning champions after besting France in the 2022 finale, an all-timer that went down to a penalty shootout.
—Kaya Kaynak, New York Times, 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
After winning the contest in 1987, Jordan took home consecutive trophies after besting rival Dominique Wilkins with an unforgettable dunk from the free-throw line.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 20 May 2026
After returning to the Bronx for the first time since besting the Yankees in four games in the American League Division Series, the Blue Jays’ struggles of this season continued.
—Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Hill, a lifelong independent, raised more than $780,000 in the first three months of the year, besting Democrat Matt Schultz, a pastor, who raised $578,000 from last October through March.
—Steve Peoples, Fortune, 15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besting
Verb
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After defeating the Netherlands, Team Algeria returned home for a short break.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
8 June 2026
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After defeating Chwalinska in straight sets, Andreeva took time at the end of her acceptance speech to speak Russian, seemingly in defiance of the vilification due to her ethnic heritage by the tennis governing bodies and opposing players.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
Verb
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One lawmaker Lackey’s unofficial bill title wasn’t lost upon was Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, D-Jefferson Park, a lawmaker who has spoken publicly about overcoming systemic barriers in his own life as a Black man and has centered his political career largely on criminal justice reform.—
Andrew Graham
May 28,
Sacbee.com,
28 May 2026
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That’s because the Phillies (29-27) stand as a serious threat in the wild-card races, and overcoming the Dodgers in the West race just isn’t realistic.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2026
Verb
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One of them is to raise the proportion of students mastering Math I – usually taken the freshman year of high school but also taken by some middle schoolers and older high school students.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
10 June 2026
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Just under 300,000 years from the moment Homo sapiens appeared in Africa, the species had encircled Earth, mastering desolate deserts and frozen wastelands and all the temperate climes in between.—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
Verb
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As shoppers gear up for their European summer sojourns, brands are beating the tourist rush and setting up shop across the continent with temporary seasonal stores, beach club pop-ups and limited-time activations to capture the attention and dollars of the high-spending set.—
Madeleine Schulz,
Vogue,
8 June 2026
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Fujimori, daughter of a disgraced former president, and Sánchez, an ally of an imprisoned ex-president, were on the runoff’s ballot after beating 33 other candidates in the vote in April, but neither earned even 20% of support.—
Franklin Briceño,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Verb
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The Portugal Football Summit — organised by the Portuguese Football Federation and taking place 23–25 September in Oeiras — brings together the game’s leading voices on football business, leadership and the future of the sport.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
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The Aftermath is a special bonus episode taking place after the reunion and will air next week.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
10 June 2026
Verb
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New historical research suggests that one of the most legendary cities in history did not start out as a conquering warrior state — poking a hole in its founding myth.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
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Some people think, oh, the show’s about true romance, true love conquering it all.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Firefighters mounted an aggressive attack when the blaze first sparked, with officials dispatching 19 fire engines from Oceanside and neighboring fire agencies, and Cal Fire sending two air tankers out of Hemet.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 June 2026
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Kim has sought to forge closer military and trade ties with Moscow, dispatching troops to fight in the Ukraine war while continuing to build up his nuclear capabilities in defiance of UN sanctions.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Besting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besting. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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