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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

Leo Cullen's side lost by a score to La Rochelle in 2022 and 2023 and took Toulouse to extra time in 2024, but they were comfortably second best to Bordeaux in the Bilbao heat.

From BBC ● May 23, 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

Chisora - fighting at the venue for the 11th time - was second best in the early exchanges.

From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2026

“It’s all fake:” Ida sank into the second best chair.

From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke

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

Messi won the Silver Ball as the second-best player, with Mbappe named Bronze Ball winner.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

The Port of Los Angeles processed 890,861 container units in April, 5.7% above last year -- the second-best April on record despite war, higher fuel costs and trade uncertainty.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026

Disney’s “Toy Story 5” opened to an estimated $312 million globally, marking the second-best debut for a Pixar animated film.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

“Suppose I told you, Luke, that I would meet you clandestinely in the second-best drawing room—how would you ever know where to find me?”

From "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson