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second best
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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 1400â50
OTHER WORDS FROM second best
second-best, adjectiveWords nearby second best
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use second best in a sentence
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.
The American HeritageÂź Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.