besting

verb

present participle of best
as in defeating
to achieve a victory over at last she's bested her card-playing mother at the game of hearts

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of besting Even the National Weather Service’s Oxnard station wasn’t spared — topping out at 87 degrees, besting a record of 85 set in 1931. — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 The potentially final chapter of LIV's story being closed out with La Sasso besting the two biggest LIV stars was certainly a scene. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 The British-Argentine actor’s point has less to do with her conflicted con artist cheating death numerous times and besting her mobster in-laws, as well as the FBI. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026 The year ended up with a record 109 missions, besting the 93 flown in 2024 when the 50th mission was on July 8. — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026 Samsung promises seven years of OS and security updates, besting Motorola's commitment of three years for OS upgrades and five years for security updates. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 3 Aug. 2026 Miami hit 96 Thursday afternoon, besting the previous 95 degree record set in 2015. — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026 Banks scored from seven of the shooting zones during the two rounds, besting six from Delle Donne and four from Shakira Austin. — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 28 July 2026 And by exceeding expectations so spectacularly on nomination morning, Widow’s Bay seized the thrust in the comedy category despite Hacks’s superior nomination count (24 nominations, besting its previous high of 17 nominations in 2022). — Joe Reid, Vulture, 25 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besting
  1. defeating
  2. overcoming
  3. mastering
  4. beating
  5. taking
  6. conquering
  7. dispatching
Verb
  • Flag football Panorama pulled off the biggest upset of the week, defeating Eagle Rock in four overtimes.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Day denied that defeating Sununu is his ultimate objective, instead describing his campaign as an experiment in using third-party candidates to force the major parties to keep their promises.
    — Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of defeating
Verb
  • The discovery opens up new possibilities for heat management in next-generation quantum devices, overcoming bottlenecks faced earlier.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Wachter said some young buyers are overcoming high housing costs by looking at older homes and fixer-uppers, putting their own time and labor into improvements or even renting out part of the property to help cover costs.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of overcoming
Verb
  • But for a novice, relying on AI before mastering the fundamentals creates a technical debt that leads to a lack of depth.
    — Jason Corso, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
  • But what if the biggest output of mastering AI isn't actually a bigger career advantage, but instead the greatest gift is the time saved.
    — Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of mastering
Verb
  • Mizzou fans fumed about beating KU but playing in the lesser bowl.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Clark won a solid 56% of the vote in the Democratic primary, beating Blair and others, and Chavez ran unopposed in the Republican primary.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of beating
Verb
  • Guidance includes carrying ample water and supplies, checking road and weather conditions in advance and taking an alternative means of communication, such as a satellite communicator or emergency beacon.
    — Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Video from the scene showed law enforcement officers taking cover behind patrol SUVs on the street near the home as a small tactical team behind a handheld shield moved toward the structure.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of taking
Verb
  • After that, conquering parts of the universe would be a triviality.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Several other Carpenter tracks have come close to conquering the roster but missed out by a space or two.
    — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of conquering
Verb
  • Keb was outclassed from the opening bell and Harvey wasted no time dispatching him.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Copeland and Cage have reigned supreme over the tag team division since then, dispatching The Death Riders and The Dogs in separate matches.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of dispatching

Browse Nearby Words

bestiary
besting
bestir
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Cite this Entry

“Besting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besting. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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