Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

best

 - definition
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing.These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are morefrequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
adverb British English pronunciation: best /best/
  1. 1
    in the way that is most satisfactory, suitable, pleasant, effective, successful etc

    You need to find out which program works best on your computer.

    He is the kind of musician who always performs best in front of a live audience.

    The play can be best described as ‘a serious comedy’.

    do something as best you can (=do something as well as you are able):

    I’ll try to deal with all these problems as best I can.

    suit someone best (=be most suitable for someone):

    Which colour do you think suits me best?

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bestThesaurus entry for this meaning of best
  2. 2
    used for saying that someone or something is liked or known more than any other
    like someone/something best:

    What kind of music do you like best?

    best known/loved:

    The Mona Lisa is probably the world’s best-known painting.

    one of Gershwin’s best loved melodies

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bestThesaurus entry for this meaning of best
    1. a.
      used for saying that someone or something is famous, especially in one particular way or for one particular reason
      best known/remembered for something:

      James Dean is best remembered for his star performance in Rebel without a Cause.

      The Bordeaux region is best known for its fine wines.

      best known as:

      Conan Doyle is probably best known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bestThesaurus entry for this meaning of best

phrase

This is the British English definition of best. View American English definition of best.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

showmance

a romantic relationship between two members of the cast of a play, film or television series

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

slime

a thick, wet, unpleasant substance that covers something

Open Dictionary

human-readable

able to be read and understood by people

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog