second best

American  

noun

1. the next to the best in performance, achievement, craftsmanship, etc.

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second-best British  

adjective

1. next to the best

2. informal to be defeated in competition

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noun

1. an inferior alternative

second best Idioms  

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• second-best adjective

Etymology

Origin of second best

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Example Sentences

“The second best time to vlog … is after 48 hours of work and travel with no sleep,” he joked in one late-night video, “I think that’s how the saying goes.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026

"My second best sport I do is cycling since I'm 10. For a hobby biker who is not cycling in winter, I'm a really good endurance athlete. Cycling is my second life."

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

"It's too tough a game to be turning up for an opponent and being second best," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026

It’s a bit like that saying: The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second best time is now.

From Salon • Jan. 27, 2026

In second place was the boat that had been second best all fall—the boat with big Stub McMillin in the middle and Roger Morris in the bow.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown