second best

See synonyms for second best on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the next to the best in performance, achievement, craftsmanship, etc.

Origin of second best

1
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Other words from second best

  • second-best, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use second best in a sentence

  • I feel as if I were getting second-bests, paste substitutes for the real jewels.

    The Great God Success | John Graham (David Graham Phillips)
  • In the matter of style--as Flaubert has said--the second-bests are often the better teachers.

British Dictionary definitions for second-best

second-best

adjective
  1. next to the best

  2. come off second best informal to be defeated in competition

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