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

In a report, officials said the proposed guidance would encourage best practice in terms of minimising exterior lighting to only what was necessary for safety and security.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

"Considering the governance challenges that the FAI has had to overcome in recent years, the Association feels a particular obligation to advocate for and uphold best practice."

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

“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

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

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