bestseller

American  

[best-sel-er] / ˈbɛstˈsɛl ər /

Or best seller

noun

1. a book that is among those having the largest sales during a given period.

2. any product that among those of its kind is selling particularly well at a given time.

   This car was a bestseller last year.

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bestseller British  

/ ˌbɛstˈsɛlə /

noun

1. a book, record, CD, or other product that has sold in great numbers, esp over a short period

2. the author of one or more such books, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bestselling
  adjective
• bestsellerdom
  noun
• best-selling
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of bestseller

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; best + seller

Example Sentences

McDonald, who wrote the bestseller, “A Colossal Failure of Common Sense,” said tech representation in the S&P 500 is so high that retail investors are being force-fed the sector.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

And then before that, you want to be on the shop’s tables, and then you want to be on a bestseller list.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026

Consider the case of two hotly anticipated debuts on the New York Times bestseller list dated April 26.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

The Netflix film, which begins streaming Friday, has actually been in the works long before Van Pelt’s book spent more than 64 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood was not yet on the bestseller lists.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell