second best

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See synonyms for: second best / secondbest on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

OTHER WORDS FROM second best

second-best, adjective

Words nearby second best

secondary xylem, second ballot, second banana, second base, second baseman, second best, Second Birth, second blessing, second chamber, second childhood, second class

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use second best in a sentence

The best comparison here for an American audience is, well, Internet stuff.
Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie|Arthur Chu|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Strangio is at his best when exposing what appears to be a flourishing civil society in Cambodia.
Cambodia’s Smoke-and-Mirrors Democracy|David Shaftel|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Her style, much like her diminutive nickname, is best described as “Hamptons twee”—preppy and peppy.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Perhaps on his own nowadays, Epstein is trying his best to webmaster over a dozen URLs.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Gunshots rang out in Paris this morning on a second day of deadly violence that has stunned the French capital.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We resolved to do our best to merit the good opinion which we thus supposed them to entertain of us.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
He is perplexed and hindered by the lack of soldiers, but is doing his best with his small forces.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
In treble, second and fourth, the first change is a dodge behind; and the second time the treble leads, there's a double Bob.
Tintinnalogia, or, the Art of Ringing|Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman
On his head was the second-hand hat of some parvenu's coachman, gold lace, cockade and all.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The beauty, the mystery,—this fierce sunshine or something—stir——' She hesitated for a fraction of a second.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood

British Dictionary definitions for second best

second-best

adjective

next to the best

come off second best informal to be defeated in competition

noun second best

an inferior alternative

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

Other 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.

second best

Origin of second best

OTHER WORDS FROM second best

Words nearby second best

Words related to second best

How to use second best in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for second best

Other Idioms and Phrases with second best