BESTS Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

bests

verb

present tense third-person singular of best

as in masters

to achieve a victory over at last she's bested her card-playing mother at the game of hearts

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bests Contreras bests Murphy in both performance and attendance — and, as Win Column Data Wiz Rahul Deshpande discovered, the former’s pretty good at the whole ABS (Automatic Ball-Strike System) challenge thing, too. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 21 Oct. 2026 Eventually, Reacher bests Amisha by shoving her out of a window to fall to the street below. — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026 Phoebe Bridgers Blocks the Rolling Stones On both the Official Singles Sales and Official Physical Singles charts, Phoebe Bridgers bests the Rolling Stones. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 There’s also a vast array of facilities, including a screening room, a private nightclub, and a spa level that bests many hotels. — Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 19 June 2026 His performance for shareholders now bests JPMorgan, Visa, and the S&P 500. — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 6 May 2026 There’s no perfect style of pizza that bests the rest. — Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 28 Mar. 2026 Prior to last season, his career bests in starts for a season was two with Dallas in 2022. — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026 The towers are also able to reach a capacity factor of about 32%, which bests that of flat panels, which come in around 22%. — New Atlas, 29 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bests

Verb

Part of the ceiling consideration at quarterback is how a player masters the mental side of the game.

— Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2026
The real competitive advantage of the next decade will not belong to the CEO who masters every AI platform, but the CEO who consistently makes better decisions.

— Jose Luis Gonzalez Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of masters

Verb

In the final race of his career, 3-year-old Man O War defeats 1919 Triple Crown winner Sir Barton in a match race, the Kenilworth Park Gold Cup.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
This eventually defeats Other Mommy, leaving the happy family of three intact — even though there’s subtext that Bela will always have a little discomfort around her mother.

— William Earl, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of defeats

Verb

This process allows for precise positioning of cells and the generation of custom three-dimensional structures and also overcomes challenges with random cellular self-organization.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Nov. 2026
Paired with a convincing lead turn by Best, as well as moving work from Gourrier and especially Joseph, the earnest series overcomes its stock biopic structure to linger with viewers in a manner more pleasing than disbelieving.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of overcomes

Verb

Instead of the cartoon alien who loves Oreos and beats up other alien bad guys, this run turns John Jones (FKA J'onn J'onnz) into an FBI agent who survives a suicide bombing and merges with an alien entity.

— Cooper Katz McKim, NPR, 6 Nov. 2026
The Magic 9 also beats the 17 Pro Max in sharpness and color reproduction.

— Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of beats

Verb

Researchers must again be able to plan work that takes years with reasonable confidence that commitments will be honored.

— Carole LaBonne, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026
TobenONE takes a slightly different approach to the whole design by building the whole system around the main stand.

— Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of takes

Verb

Even though the department no longer dispatches officers to the scenes of minor accidents, LAPD statistics show that enforcement the department’s 308-member traffic bureau has gone up.

— Hailey Wang, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
The officer immediately dispatches that shots had been fired.

— Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of dispatches

Browse Nearby Words

bestrode

bests

bet

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Style

“Bests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bests. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of bests

verb

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