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second best

SEE SYNONYMS FOR second best

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. 2020

Words related to second best

inferior, second-rate

Example sentences from the Web for second best

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

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 Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.