best practice

American  

noun

Chiefly Business.

1. Often best practices a procedure or set of procedures that is preferred or considered standard within an organization, industry, etc..

   The company adopted best practice in employee recruitment.

   At the meeting we reviewed best practices for communicating with clients.

   Their methodology was identified as a best practice.

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best practice British  

noun

1. the recognized methods of correctly running businesses or providing services

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Etymology

Origin of best practice

First recorded in 1980–85; derived from an earlier (1905) sense “the best method, procedure, etc.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

best practice

“The ethical and sort of best practice would be for the attorney general’s office to hire an independent special investigator to look into the complaint,” Gonzalez said.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

John Parker, chief executive of the Arboricultural Association, said it was "really positive" to see the council recognising the benefits trees bring to communities and the importance of "best practice in their care".

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

That’s not because the travel industry has a hard-and-fast rule about when to buy flights, but because the loosely understood best practice of a one-to-three-month advance window for nonholiday travel hasn’t arrived yet.

From Slate ● May 12, 2026

BAE Systems said its safeguarding procedures were "regularly reviewed to ensure they align with regulatory guidance and are benchmarked against best practice".

From BBC ● May 5, 2026

The best practice for transposing is to transpose a piece you know well into a new key.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones