second best
- the next to the best in performance, achievement, craftsmanship, etc.
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Origin of second best
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for second-best
Contemporary Examples
With Sanders, Indianapolis had the second-best run defense in the playoffs.
It was a second-best alternative to just counting some of the votes, one which he offered when it looked like he might be losing.
No, Democrats Did Not Just Want to "Count All the Votes" in the 2000 Election.Megan McArdle
May 6, 2013
So he wanted to at least explore the second-best option for getting justice for his client, a civil settlement.
Nevertheless, it was the best year since 2006, and 2010 was the second-best year, with employers adding 940,000 jobs.
Historical Examples
Oh, father,” cried Polly in alarm, “these are my second-best boots!
Polly of Lady Gay CottageEmma C. Dowd
I had the feeling that I had come off second-best in the encounter.
Kent Knowles: QuahaugJoseph C. Lincoln
Did you ever feel like arguing with a gentleman when you had on your second-best clothes and no ruffle?
John SplendidNeil Munro
She was in sober, every-day serge now, and pulling on her second-best cloak.
Jane Journeys OnRuth Comfort Mitchell
I kept a detaining arm on Peter's sleeve,—his second-best sleeve.
The Worn DoorstepMargaret Sherwood
second-best
- next to the best
- come off second best informal to be defeated in competition
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- an inferior alternative
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with second-best
second best
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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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.