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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 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 And China now bests the United States in 57 out of 64 critical and emerging technologies, per a 2024 study. — Mircea Geoană, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025 The new figure, which bests Monday’s $605 million jackpot, is already the 13th largest prize in the history of Powerball. — Gordon Ebanks, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bests
  1. masters
  2. defeats
  3. overcomes
  4. beats
  5. takes
  6. conquers
  7. gets
  8. dispatches
Verb
  • The warrior who masters these qualities can recognize openings others miss and act without hesitation.
    — Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Finally, Kim masters the steps and takes to the stage with confidence, as her family cheers her on!
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
Definition of masters
Verb
  • Replacing lead-acid with a much lighter battery can require adding weight back into the vehicle, which defeats part of the purpose.
    — Darren Tan, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • Costly defeats If past is prologue, Democratic insiders are right to be concerned.
    — David M. Drucker, Mercury News, 15 July 2026
Definition of defeats
Verb
  • David overcomes Goliath while Odysseus defeats the cyclops Polyphemus.
    — Theodore McDarrah, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • Mikel Oyarzabal has four goals, so could yet challenge if Spain overcomes France in the semifinals.
    — James Robson, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
Definition of overcomes
Verb
  • This could be the first year that solar beats gas in California’s power mix.
    — Blanca Begert, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026
  • When measured against the modern perimeter icons who preceded him, James beats Jordan and Bryant on points scored, Magic Johnson on assists dished and Larry Bird on titles won.
    — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of beats
Verb
  • Doing any of those things in 15 seconds where classical computing takes an hour is huge, mostly because many of these optimization problems are constantly changing minute by minute.
    — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • Coop takes some distance, riding to the restaurant in a separate van and sitting at the opposite end of the table from Kat at dinner.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 28 July 2026
Definition of takes
Verb
  • The hip-hop superstar’s latest set, The Real Me, conquers multiple rankings thanks in large part to a massive first-week streaming sum, as its 22 songs racked up more than 120 million plays on streaming platforms in only seven days.
    — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • That doesn’t mean robbing Billy of his shot at prying open Homelander’s skull, but with only a symbolic solution to Trump’s authoritarian rise — love conquers all!
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 May 2026
Definition of conquers
Verb
  • But the template—already structured for your business, with the right fields and formulas—gets you to an answer in minutes, not hours.
    — Yu Fang, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Washington has won three straight and wants to shore up its playoff position as the season gets toward crunch time.
    — Torrey Hart, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of gets
Verb
  • Tax season is busy, but the IRS dispatches extra agents to answer calls in the weeks leading up to April 15.
    — Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 27 June 2026
  • Robin quickly and viscerally dispatches his foe, before going up against a larger swath of enemies who are targeting his former partner-in-banditry Little John (played by Bill Skarsgård).
    — David Sims, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026
Definition of dispatches

Browse Nearby Words

bestrode
bests
bet
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Cite this Entry

“Bests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bests. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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