- best
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1. of the highest quality, excellence, or standing: the best work; the best students.2. most advantageous, suitable, or desirable: the best way.3. largest; most: the best part of a day.4. most excellently or suitably; with most advantage or success: an opera role that best suits her voice.5. in or to the highest degree; most fully (usually used in combination): best-suited; best-known; best-loved.6. as best one can, in the best way possible under the circumstances: We tried to smooth over the disagreement as best we could.7. had best, would be wisest or most reasonable to; ought to: You had best phone your mother to tell her where you are going.n.8. something or someone that is best: They always demand and get the best. The best of us can make mistakes.9. a person's finest clothing: It's important that you wear your best.10. a person's most agreeable or desirable emotional state (often prec. by at).11. a person's highest degree of competence, inspiration, etc. (often prec. by at).12. the highest quality to be found in a given activity or category of things (often prec. by at): cabinetmaking at its best.13. the best effort that a person, group, or thing can make: Their best fell far short of excellence.14. a person's best wishes or kindest regards: Please give my best to your father.15. all for the best, for the good as the final result; to an ultimate advantage: At the time it was hard to realize how it could be all for the best. Also, for the best.16. at best, under the most favorable circumstances: You may expect to be treated civilly, at best.17. get or have the best of,a. to gain the advantage over.b. to defeat; subdue: His arthritis gets the best of him from time to time.18. make the best of, to cope with in the best way possible: to make the best of a bad situation.19. with the best, on a par with the most capable: He can play bridge with the best.v.t.20. to get the better of; defeat; beat: He easily bested his opponent in hand-to-hand combat. She bested me in the argument.[bef. 900; ME beste, OE betst, best; c. D best, OHG bezzist (G best), ON bezt, Goth batists. See BETTER1, -EST]
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Universalium. 2010.
