you can have of sb/sth, or the best thing that can happen, when the situation is bad (

Their

response to the proposal was, at best, cool. fMI

0 We can’t arrive before Friday at best.      be

(all) for the 'best used to say that although sth appears bad or unpleasant now, it will be good in the end M : I don’t want you to leave, but perhaps it’s for the best.    itMSfWdfo the best

of a bad bunch (BrE also the best of a bad 'lot) {informal) a person or thing that is a little better than the rest of a group, although none are verv good —

‘ (      the best of

‘three, ‘five, etc. (especially ih games and sports jtfn up to three, five, etc. games played to decide who wins, the winner being the person who wins most of them  ) the best

that money can ' buy the very best ; ft ■&; ®       :

We make sure our clients get the best that money can buy. do, mean, etc. sth

for the 'best to do or say sth in order to achieve a good result or to help sb jfy A (ft 0f)A & 7 it:

I just don’t know what to do for the best. It H # 7iff M ft" 'A it o 0 I’m sorry if my advice offended youI meant it for the best.    1 ?E7^> SflilB

W,       have/get the 'best of

sth to gain more advantage from sth than sb else jⅈ £ ±M: I thought you had the best of that discussion.       £7~tMo make the

best of sth/it | make the best of things | make the best of a bad job to accept a bad or difficult situation and do as well as you can       to the best of your

knowledge/be'lief as far as you know $^A0r£fl ( $L 7 m) He never made a will, to the best of my know­ledge. naBfto,       with the -best (of

them) as well as anyone     7 ItiiMA^:

He’ll be out there, dancing with the best of them,

—j more at bunch n.,

hope v., luck /?., Sunday

m verb [VN] [usually passive] {formal) to defeat or be more successful than sb fJJBt; J&i3t

best-be fore date noun {BrE) a date printed on a container or package, advising you to use food or drink before this date as it will not be of such good quality after that it# Jr( E7

' best boy noun the assistant to the person in charge of the electrical equipment used when making a film/ movie (     ) mAShm

bes tial /'bestial; NAmE ‘bestjal/ adj. (formal) cruel and disgusting; of or like a beast |Xj ift; if H ift; if #

(ft;     bestial acts/cruelty/noises ^AAttiftfr

bes ti al ity /.besti'aelati; NAmE ,bestji-/ noun [U] 1 (tech­nical A ip) sexual activity between a human and an animal # (if 2 (formal) cruel or disgusting behaviour

bes tiary /'bestiari; NAmE -eri/ noun (pi. -ies) a collection of descriptions of, or stories about, various types of animal, especially one written in the Middle Ages ( %

) SMMtWft

bestir /bi'st3:(r)/ verb (-rr-) [VN] ~ yourself formal or humorous) to start doing things after a period during which you have been doing nothing A if; Si ft ^ A Enn rouse

.best ‘man noun [sing.] a male friend or relative of the bridegroom at a wedding, who helps him during the wedding ceremony ^ ^ IH ; # gp — compare brides­maid

be stow /bi'stao; NAmE bi'stou/ verb [VN] ~ sth (on/upon sb) formal) to give sth to sb, especially to show how much they are respected (        ). £n"7, tx7, Mlp: It

was a title bestowed upon him by the king. JPJiSHMin

mm*

best practice noun [u, C] a way of doing sth that is seen as a very good example of how it should be done