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• second best
  second best

  noun

  the next to the best in performance, achievement, craftsmanship, etc.
• second-best
  second-best

  adjective

  next to the best

second best

American  

noun

1. the next to the best in performance, achievement, craftsmanship, etc.

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second-best British  

adjective

1. next to the best

2. informal to be defeated in competition

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noun

1. an inferior alternative

second best Idioms  

1. Also, second class. Next after the first in rank or quality, inferior to the best, as in We aren't satisfied with being second best in sales, or This hotel is obviously second class. The first term dates from the first half of the 1400s, the variant from about 1800. Also see come off, def. 2; second class.

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Other Word Forms

• second-best
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of second best

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

second best second-best

“Chad, the best time to have dropped out would have been a couple of weeks ago, but the second best time is right now.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

He has 43 more than the second best, Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai.

From BBC ● May 23, 2026

Ulster came out second best but there were fleeting positives, from Timoney's blistering start to a superb individual finish from the returning Robert Baloucoune.

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

South Korean stocks just registered their second best month ever and has overtaken one of the largest stock markets in the world.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026

In second place was the boat that had been second best all fall—the boat with big Stub McMillin in the middle and Roger Morris in the bow.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Ugarte supports the $2.6-billion Convention Center expansion passed by the City Council last year, arguing that the nation’s second-biggest city should have at least the second-best convention center.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Those screams you hear are coming from New York, where Yankees fans are annoyed that their team finished with the second-best record in the AL and still could be eliminated in two or three days.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

That, combined with an announcement about the company’s Terafab chip-making project, cleared the way for the stock to see its second-best day on record Friday.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

If that holds, it would make for SpaceX’s second-best trading day since its initial public offering last month, according to Dow Jones Market Data.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

Viola came up later carrying a tray set with the second-best china as a peace offering for my banishment.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly