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| best [ best ] (plural bests) CORE MEANING: better than anybody or anything else |
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1. adjective better than all others: of the highest quality or standard or the most excellent type
  the best days of your life
wearing her best dress
the best sprinter of the decade
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2. adjective most likely to succeed: most likely to have or come near to the desired outcome
the best thing to do in the circumstances
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3. adjective most intimate: liked, trusted, and confided in more than anybody else
my best friend
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4. adverb more than all others: in the highest degree or to the greatest extent
likes me best
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5. adverb most successfully: in a way that is most likely to have or come near to the desired outcome
It works best if you warm it up first.
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6. adverb to highest standard: to a higher standard than anybody or anything else
the best trained horse in the competition
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7. noun what is best: the best possible things or circumstances
want the best for their family
will only buy the best
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8. noun somebody or something better than others: somebody or something of the highest quality or standard
is the best at hockey
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9. noun top quality: the highest quality or standard that somebody or something is capable of
do your best
past its best
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10. noun top achievement: the best time or score that somebody has achieved in a sport or game
trying to beat her personal best in the marathon
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11. noun endorsement: used as an enthusiastic endorsement of something
(
slang
)
How is your hotel? - It's the best!
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| [ Old English betest, superlative of good and well2, < Germanic] |
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at best according to the most favorable interpretation
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at somebody's or its best performing at the peak of ability or effectiveness
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at the best of times even when circumstances are at their most favorable
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for the best likely to have a more favorable outcome
I'm sorry I can't come, but maybe it's for the best.
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make the best of something to extract what benefit you can from an unsatisfactory or disadvantageous situation
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