–adjective, superl. of good with better as compar.

1.	of the highest quality, excellence, or standing: the best work; the best students.

2.	most advantageous, suitable, or desirable: the best way.

3.	largest; most: the best part of a day.

–adverb, superl. of well with better as compar.

4.	most excellently or suitably; with most advantage or success: an opera role that best suits her voice.

5.	in or to the highest degree; most fully (usually used in combination): best-suited; best-known; best-loved.

–noun

6.	something or someone that is best: They always demand and get the best. The best of us can make mistakes.

7.	a person's finest clothing: It's important that you wear your best.

8.	a person's most agreeable or desirable emotional state (often prec. by at).

9.	a person's highest degree of competence, inspiration, etc. (often prec. by at).

10.	the highest quality to be found in a given activity or category of things (often prec. by at): cabinetmaking at its best.

11.	the best effort that a person, group, or thing can make: Their best fell far short of excellence.

12.	a person's best wishes or kindest regards: Please give my best to your father.

–verb (used with object)

13.	to get the better of; defeat; beat: He easily bested his opponent in hand-to-hand combat. She bested me in the argument.

—Idioms

14.	all for the best, for the good as the final result; to an ultimate advantage: At the time it was hard to re 1173 alize how it could be all for the best. Also, for the best.

15.	as best one can, in the best way possible under the circumstances: We tried to smooth over the disagreement as best we could.

16.	at best, under the most favorable circumstances: You may expect to be treated civilly, at best.

17.	get or have the best of, a. to gain the advantage over. b. to defeat; subdue: His arthritis gets the best of him from time to time.

18.	had best, would be wisest or most reasonable to; ought to: You had best phone your mother to tell her where you are going.

19.	make the best of, to cope with in the best way possible: to make the best of a bad situation.

20.	with the best, on a par with the most capable: He can play bridge with the best.

–adjective

1.	of or pertaining to a sport or sports, esp. of the open-air or athletic kind: a sports festival.

2.	(of garments, equipment, etc.) suitable for use in open-air sports, or for outdoor or informal use.

–noun

1.	a written or printed work of fiction or nonfiction, usually on sheets of paper fastened or bound together within covers.

2.	a number of sheets of blank or ruled paper bound together for writing, recording business transactions, etc.

3 3e8 .

a division of a literary work, esp. one of the larger divisions.

4.	the Book, the Bible.

5.	Music. the text or libretto of an opera, operetta, or musical.

6.	books. book of account.

7.	Jazz. the total repertoire of a band.

a script or story for a play.

8.

9.	a record of bets, as on a horse race.

10.	Cards. the number of basic tricks or cards that must be taken before any trick or card counts in the score.

11.	a set or packet of tickets, checks, stamps, matches, etc., bound together like a book.

12.	anything that serves for the recording of facts or events: The petrified tree was a book of Nature.

13.	Sports. a collection of facts and information about the usual playing habits, weaknesses, methods, etc., of an opposing team or player, esp. in baseball: The White Sox book on Mickey Mantle cautioned pitchers to keep the ball fast and high.

14.	Stock Exchange. a. the customers served by each registered representative in a brokerage house. b. a loose-leaf binder kept by a specialist to record orders to buy and sell stock at specified prices.

15.	a pile or package of leaves, as of tobacco.

16.	Mineralogy. a thick block or crystal of mica.

17.	a magazine: used esp. in magazine publishing.

18.	book value.

19.	Slang. bookmaker (def. 1).

20.	the book, a. a set of rules, conventions, or standards: The solution was not according to the book but it served the purpose. b. the telephone book: I've looked him up, but he's not in the book.

–verb (used with object)

21.	to enter in a book or list; record; register.

22.	to reserve or make a reservation for (a hotel room, passage on a ship, etc.): We booked a table at our favorite restaurant.

23.	to register or list (a person) for a place, transportation, appointment, etc.: The travel agent booked us for next week's cruise.

24.	to engage for one or more performances.

25.	to enter an official charge aga dc5 inst (an arrested suspect) on a police register.

26.	to act as a bookmaker for (a bettor, bet, or sum of money): The Philadelphia syndicate books 25 million dollars a year on horse racing.

–verb (used without object)

27.	to register one's name.

28.	to engage a place, services, etc.

29.	Slang. a. to study hard, as a student before an exam: He left the party early to book. b. to leave; depart: I'm bored with this party, let's book. c. to work as a bookmaker: He started a restaurant with money he got from booking.

–adjective

30.	of or pertaining to a book or books: the book department; a book salesman.

31.	derived or learned from or based on books: a book knowledge of sailing.

32.	shown by a book of account: The firm's book profit was $53,680.

—Verb phrases

33.	book in, to sign in, as at a job.

34.	book out, to sign out, as at a job.

35.	book up, to sell out in advance: The hotel is booked up for the Christmas holidays.

—Idioms

36.	bring to book, to call to account; bring to justice: Someday he will be brought to book for his misdeeds.

37.	by the book, according to the correct or established form; in the usual manner: an unimaginative individual who does everything by the book.

38.	close the books, to balance a 138 ccounts at the end of an accounting period; settle accounts.

39.	cook the books, Informal. cook (def. 10).

40.	in one's bad books, out of favor; disliked by someone: He's in the boss's bad books.

41.	in one's book, in one's personal judgment or opinion: In my book, he's not to be trusted.

< e53 td valign="top">in one's good books, in favor; liked by someone.

42.

43.	like a book, completely; thoroughly: She knew the area like a book.

44.	make book, a. to accept or place the bets of others, as on horse races, esp. as a business. b. to wager; bet: You can make book on it that he won't arrive in time.

45.	off the books, done or performed for cash or without keeping full business records: esp. as a way to avoid paying income tax, employment benefits, etc.: Much of his work as a night watchman is done off the books.

46.	one for the book or books, a noteworthy incident; something extraordinary: The daring rescue was one for the book.

47.	on the books, entered in a list or record: He claims to have graduated from Harvard, but his name is not on the books.

48.	throw the book at, Informal. a. to sentence (an offender, lawbreaker, etc.) to the maximum penalties for all charges against that person. b. to punish or chide severely.

49.	without book, a. from memory. b. without authority: to punish without book.

50.	write the book, to be the prototype, originator, leader, etc., of: So far as investment banking is concerned, they wrote the book.