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better
situations/of every possible situation, especially without
their disadvantages: He lives on a farm and works in a big
city, so he has the best of both worlds. 10 to the best of
one's knowledge/belief/ability as far as one knows/
believes/is able: I will do the work to the best of my ability. →
see also six of the best (SIX)
best⁴ v [T] old use in BrE, not unusual in AmE to defeat: After a long
struggle, we bested them.
Best, George (1946-2005) a football player from Northern
Ireland who played for Manchester United from 1963 to
1973 and is considered to be one of the greatest players ever.
He was often in the newspapers, photographed with attrac-
tive young women, but he also drank too much alcohol, and
he stopped playing football when he was still young. He is
still sometimes mentioned in the news because of his
alcohol problems.
best be'fore ,date n a date stamped onto food and drink
containers, showing the date before which the product
should be eaten or drunk: There's no best before date on these
beans.
best 'friend n 1 the special friend that a child likes most:
Who's your best friend, Jimmy? 2 best friends very friendly,
especially after an argument: They're best friends again now.
bes·ti·al /'bestiəl||'bestʃəl/ adj 1 of or like an animal 2 (of
human beings and their behaviour) very cruel or inhuman;
BRUTAL: bestial cruelty —ly adv
bes·ti·al·i·ty /ˌbesti'æləti||ˌbestʃi- / n [U] 1 derog the state of
being bestial 2 sexual relations between a human being and
an animal
bes·ti·ar·y /'bestiəri||'bestʃieri/ n a book (especially of the
Middle Ages in Europe) with information about animals
that is intended to amuse people or to teach moral lessons
be·stir /bɪ'stːr/ v -rr- [T] fml to cause (oneself) to move
quickly or become active: We must bestir ourselves (to finish
the job).
best 'man n a man who helps the BRIDEGROOM (=the man
getting married) at a wedding ceremony
CULTURAL NOTE The best man is usually a friend of the
bridegroom, and he is responsible for making sure that the
bridegroom arrives at the wedding on time and for giving
him the wedding ring during the ceremony. He usually also
makes an amusing speech after the ceremony. People
sometimes make jokes about the best man losing the
wedding ring. → see Feature on page A28
be·stow /bɪ'stəʊ/ v [T(on, upon)] fml to give: Several gifts were
bestowed on the royal visitors. —al n [U]
best 'practice n [C,U] a description of the best way of
performing a particular activity, especially in business, that
can be used by other people or companies as a set of rules to
follow: We are currently developing a number of best practices
to enhance network security.
be·strew /bɪ'struː/ v bestrewed, bestrewn /bɪ'strun/ or
bestrewed [T] lit 1 to lie scattered over: Flowers bestrewed
the grave of the dead soldier. 2 [(with)] to scatter things over (a
surface); STREW: They bestrewed the grave with flowers.
be·stride /bɪ'straɪd/ v bestrode /bɪ'strəʊd/, bestridden
/bɪ'strɪdn/ [T] fml to sit or stand on or over (a thing) with legs
apart; STRADDLE: to bestride a horse/a fence
best-'seller n 1 something (especially a book) that sells in
very large numbers 2 a writer or performer whose work sells
very well —ling adj: a best-selling novelist
bet¹ /bet/ n 1 [(on)] an agreement to risk money on the result
of a future event, by which the person who guesses wrongly
gives the money to the other person: We had/We made a bet
on the outcome of the next election. | to place a bet (with a
bookmaker) | to win/lose a bet 2 a sum of money risked in
this way: a £5 bet 3 a future result that is expected: [+that]
My bet (=my opinion) is that she'll be well known in a few
years' time. | It's a safe bet (=certain) that he'll turn up drunk
tonight. | He may be very charming, but he's a bad bet for
marriage. (=he will not be a good husband) 4 infml a plan of
action: Your best bet is to say nothing about it. → see also
hedge one's bets (HEDGE²)
et² v bet or betted, present participle betting 1 [I,T(on)] to risk
(money) on the result of a future event: I bet (£5) on a horse
called Silver Star, but it came in last! | [+obj(I)+obj(d)+(that)] I'll
bet you £5 that you can't do it. 2 [T(+obj)+that] to state confi-
dently (what will happen or has happened); PREDICT: I/I'll
bet that it will rain tomorrow/I/I'll bet it rains tomorrow. | I
bet you she won't agree. | If there's any hard work to be done,
you can bet he won't come. | I'll bet you didn't think I'd be back
so soon. 3 bet one's boots/bottom dollar/shirt/ass infml to
be certain: You can bet your boots that he'll be late
again. 4 You bet slang you can be sure; certainly: 'Will you
tell her?' 'You bet (I will)'.
B-
be·ta /'bi:tə|| 'beɪtə/ n the second letter (B, β) of the Greek
alphabet
CULTURAL NOTE A beta is sometimes used in Britain as a
mark for better than average work by a student.
'beta-,blocker n a drug used for preventing HEART ATTACKS
be·take /bɪ'teɪk/ v betook /bɪ'tk/, betaken /b'teɪkən/
betake oneself lit to go: He betook himself to the palace to see
the king.
'beta ,version n tech software that is being tested by people
who will use it, to see if it works properly → compare ALPHA
VERSION
be·tel /'bi:tl/ n [U] a leaf which is wrapped round pieces of
bitter red nut (betel nut) and other things, and is chewed
(CHEW) by people in India and Southeast Asia because it has
some of the effects of a drug
bête-noire /ˌbet 'nwɑːr/ n pl. bêtes-noires /ˌbet 'nwɑːz||
-ˌɑːrz/ Fr the person or thing one dislikes most
Beth·a·ny /'beθəni/ a village near Jerusalem and the MOUNT
OF OLIVES where several of the important events of the New
Testament took place
beth·el /'beθəl/ n 1 especially BrE a place of worship for
Christian Nonconformists 2 especially AmE (often cap.) a place of
worship for sailors
be·think /bɪ'θɪŋk/ v bethought /bɪ'θ:t/ bethink oneself of
lit or old use to think about; consider: You should bethink
yourself of your duty, my lord!
Beth·le·hem /'beθlihem/ a town on the West Bank of the
River Jordan, near Jerusalem, thought to be where Jesus
Christ was born → see also O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM
be·tide /bɪ'taɪd/ v [I] lit 1 to happen: We shall remain friends
whatever may betide. 2 woe betide you/him/them etc espe-
cially lit or humor you/he/they etc will be in trouble: Woe betide
them if they're late!
be·times /bɪ'taɪmz/ adv lit early; in good time
Be·tje·man, Sir John /'betʃmən/ (1906-84) a British poet
who became Poet Laureate (=the poet employed by the
Queen to write special poems on important occasions), and
who is known for his humorous poems about British society
be·to·ken /bɪ'təʊkən/ v [T] fml to be a sign of: black clouds
that betoken a storm
be·tray /bɪ'treɪ/ v [T(to)] 1 to be disloyal or unfaithful to: to
betray one's friends/one's principles 2 to hand over to the
power of an enemy by disloyalty: The resistance group was
betrayed (to the government) by one of its own members. 3 to
give away or make known (especially a secret): He betrayed
the plans to enemy agents. 4 to be a sign of (something one
would like to hide); show the real feelings or intentions of:
Her trembling hands betrayed her nervousness (to him). |
[+wh-] Her expression betrayed how angry she really was. | He
tried to seem angry, but his smile betrayed him. —er n
be·tray·al /bɪ'treɪəl/ n [C,U] (an example of) the act of
betraying: a betrayal of my principles
be·troth /bɪ'trəʊð, bɪ'trɔʊθ/ v [T(to)] old use to promise to
marry or give in marriage: Her father betrothed her to him at
an early age. | a betrothed couple | He kissed his betrothed.
(=the woman he was betrothed to) —al n [C,U] to celebrate
their betrothal
bet·ter¹ /'betər/ adj 1 (comparative of GOOD) higher in quality,
skill, or effectiveness; more good: Their house is better than
ours. | The sales figures are better than expected. | I'm worse at
sums than Jean, but better at history. | I know a better way to
do it. | He's no better than (=almost as bad as) a thief. | You'll
feel all the better for a breath of fresh air. 2 [F] (comparative of
WELL) a) improved in health: I'm feeling a little better
today. b) completely well again after an illness: Now that