best

I. best¹ S1 W1 /best/ BrE AmE adjective [superlative of good]
[Language: Old English; Origin: betst]
1. better than anything else or anyone else in quality, skill, how effective it is etc:
He won the best actor award.
What’s the best way to cook this fish?
The best thing to do is to stop worrying.
it’s best to do something
It’s best to go later in the season.
easily the best/by far the best (=much better than anything else)
John’s idea is by far the best option.
Our pilots are given the best possible training.
We use only the very best ingredients.
2. best friend the friend that you know and like better than anyone else:
She was my best friend in college.
3. best dress/shoes/clothes etc clothing that you keep for special occasions:
I put on my best suit for the wedding.
4. the next best thing something that is not exactly what you want but is as similar to it as possible:
If sterile equipment isn’t available, the next best thing is to clean equipment with disinfectant.
5. best of all used to introduce the fact about a situation that is even better than the other good things:
It’s clean and well-located, but best of all, it’s affordable.
6. best before British English written on food packets with the date that the food should be eaten before:
Best before 13 July.
a best-before date
⇨ be on your best behaviour at ↑behaviour(2), ⇨ your best bet at ↑bet²(2), ⇨ the best/better part of at ↑part¹(6)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adverbs
▪ the very best He’s one of the very best players around.
▪ easily the best The series was easily the best TV drama this year.
▪ by far the best One girl stood out as by far the best singer.
■ adjectives
▪ the best possible We sold the house at the best possible time.
▪ the best available The tuition we offer here is the best available.
■ nouns
▪ the best way to do/of doing something The best way to learn a language is to live in a country where it is spoken.
▪ the best thing to do The best thing to do is to apologize immediately.
▪ the best way forward (=the best way to make progress or deal with a problem) We believe that a merger is the best way forward for the business.
▪ make the best use of something Making the best use of space is important in any room.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

best

best [best bests bested besting] adjective, adverb, noun, verb [best] [best]

adjective (superlative of good)
1. of the most excellent type or quality
• That's the best movie I've ever seen!
• He wrote his best songs before he was 25.
• She was one of the best tennis players of her generation.
• Is that your best suit?
• They've been best friends (= closest friends) since they were children.
• the company's best-ever results

• We want the kids to have the best possible education.

2. most enjoyable; happiest

• Those were the best years of my life.

3. most suitable or appropriate
• What's the best way to cook steak?
• The best thing to do would be to apologize.
• He's the best man for the job.
• It's best if you go now.

• I'm not in the best position to advise you.

Rem: Idioms containing best adj. are at the entries for the nouns and verbs in the idioms, for example on your best behaviour is at behaviour.
Word Origin:
Old English betest (adjective), betost, betst (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German best, also to better.
Thesaurus:
best adj.
• the best way to cook steak
• It's best if you go now.
ideal • • optimum • • wise • • sensible • • preferred • |formal desirable • • advisable • |formal, BrE favoured • |formal, AmE favored •
Opp: worst
be best/wise/sensible/desirable/advisable to do sth
the best/the optimum/a wise/a sensible/an ideal/the preferred choice
the best/a wise/a sensible thing to do
Example Bank:
• Owen judged it best to make no reply.
• This is by far the best restaurant in the town.
• We aim to give our guests the very best attention.
• Who in the class is best at history?
• He's the best man for the job.
• I'm not in the best position to advise you.
• It's best if you go now.
• What's the best way to cook steak?

Idioms: all the best ▪ as best you can ▪ at best ▪ best of a bad bunch ▪ best of three/five ▪ best that money can buy ▪ do/mean something for the best ▪ for the best ▪ get the best of something ▪ make the best of a bad job ▪ make the best of it ▪ make the best of things ▪ the best of your belief ▪ with the best

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

best / best / adjective

A1 of the highest quality, or being the most suitable, pleasing, or effective type of thing or person:

This is the best meal I've ever had.

He's one of our best students.

Are you sure this is the best way of doing it?

What's the best (= shortest or quickest) way to get to the station?

Your parents only want what is best for you.

She was my best friend (= the friend I liked most) .

It's best (= it is wise) to get to the supermarket early.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

best

/best/

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.

1.
Best is the superlative of good.
If you want further information the best thing to do is have a word with the driver as you get on the bus...
It’s not the best place to live if you wish to develop your knowledge and love of mountains.

2.
Best is the superlative of well.
James Fox is best known as the author of White Mischief.

3.
The best is used to refer to things of the highest quality or standard.
We offer only the best to our clients...
He’ll have the best of care.
≠ worst
N-SING: the N

4.
Someone’s best is the greatest effort or highest achievement or standard that they are capable of.
Miss Blockey was at her best when she played the piano...
One needs to be a first-class driver to get the best out of that sort of machinery.
N-SING: oft poss N

5.
If you say that something is the best that can be done or hoped for, you think it is the most pleasant, successful, or useful thing that can be done or hoped for.
A draw seems the best they can hope for...
The best we can do is try to stay cool and muddle through.
N-SING: the N

6.
If you like something best or like it the best, you prefer it.
The thing I liked best about the show was the music...
Mother liked it best when Daniel got money...
What was the role you loved the best?
= most
ADV: ADV after v, oft the ADV

7.
Best is used to form the superlative of compound adjectives beginning with ‘good’ and ‘well’. For example, the superlative of ‘well-known’ is ‘best-known’.

8.
see also second best, Sunday best

9.
You can say ‘All the best’ when you are saying goodbye to someone, or at the end of a letter.
Wish him all the best, and tell him we miss him.
CONVENTION [formulae]

10.
You use best of all to indicate that what you are about to mention is the thing that you prefer or that has most advantages out of all the things you have mentioned.
It was comfortable and cheap: best of all, most of the rent was being paid by two American friends.
PHRASE: PHR with cl/group

11.
If someone does something as best they can, they do it as well as they can, although it is very difficult.
The older people were left to carry on as best they could.
PHRASE: V inflects, PHR after v

12.
You use at best to indicate that even if you describe something as favourably as possible or if it performs as well as it possibly can, it is still not very good.
This policy, they say, is at best confused and at worst non-existent...
PHRASE: PHR with cl/group

13.
If you do your best or try your best to do something, you try as hard as you can to do it, or do it as well as you can.
I’ll do my best to find out...
It wasn’t her fault, she was trying her best to help...
PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR to-inf

14.
If you say that something is for the best, you mean it is the most desirable or helpful thing that could have happened or could be done, considering all the circumstances.
Whatever the circumstances, parents are supposed to know what to do for the best.
PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR

15.
If two people are the best of friends, they are close friends, especially when they have had a disagreement or fight in the past.
Magda is now married to George Callerby and we are the best of friends.
PHRASE: usu v-link PHR

16.
If you say that a particular person knows best, you mean that they have a lot of experience and should therefore be trusted to make decisions for other people.
He was convinced that doctors and dentists knew best.
PHRASE: V inflects

17.
If you make the best of something, you accept an unsatisfactory situation cheerfully and try to manage as well as you can. In British English, you can also say that you make the best of a bad job.
She instilled in the children the virtues of good hard work, and making the best of what you have.
PHRASE: V inflects

18.
to the best of your ability: see ability
to hope for the best: see hope
to the best of your knowledge: see knowledge
best of luck: see luck
the best part: see part
at the best of times: see time
the best of both worlds: see world

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

¹best /ˈbɛst/ adj superlative form of ¹good or of ²well
1 a : better than all others in quality or value
• You should wear your best clothes tonight.
• He took us to the (very) best restaurants in the city.
• We ate the best food and drank the best wines.
• You're our best customers.
• His modesty and sense of humor are his best qualities.
• Is that your best offer?
• I've had the best time with you! [=I've had a very enjoyable time with you]
• The best [=most valuable] things in life are free.
• Which of these do you think tastes best?
• Mary sends you her very best wishes/regards.
• He's my best friend. [=my closest/dearest friend] = He and I are best friends.
b : most skillful, talented, or successful
• She's the best student in her class.
• He won the award for best actor in a drama.
• the team's best player
2 : most appropriate, useful, or helpful
• She truly believes that this is the best way to solve the problem.
• She's the team's best hope/chance for a medal.
• She thought waiting was best. = She thought that the best thing to do was to wait. = She thought that it was best to wait.
• It's best to leave early if you want to be sure of arriving on time.
• We want to do what's best for you.
• He's the best man for the job.
• You should do whatever you think is the best thing to do. = You should do whatever you think best.
• We're making the best possible use of these materials.
best of all
✦The phrase best of all is often used to refer to the most important or appealing part of something that has many good parts.
• The machine is easy to use, easy to clean, and best of all, it's absolutely free when you order these books.
next best
✦A person or thing that is next best is not as good as the best person or thing but is better than all others.
• The shortstop is the best player on the team, and the catcher is the next best player.
• We can't see each other often, but calling each other on the telephone is the next best thing.
on your best behavior
✦If you are on your best behavior you are behaving very politely and well.
• Remember to be on your best behavior with your grandmother.
• The children promised to be on their best behavior.