frequently_asked_questions_files/Oxford Thesaurus.pdf

--prep. 2 over and above, above and beyond, in addition to,
additionally to, as well as; aside from, barring, excepting,
except for, excluding, exclusive of, not counting or including,
beyond, apart from, other than: St Paul became acquainted with
many Christians besides his converts.
besiege v. 1 lay siege to, beleaguer: For ten years Troy was besieged
by the Greeks. 2 blockade, block, block off or up, hem in, cut
off; surround, crowd round: The strikers have besieged the
factory gates, not allowing anyone in or out. 3 importune, sue,
petition, assail, pressurize or US pressure, press, overwhelm,
inundate: The Home Office has been besieged by requests for
leniency in your case.
best adj. 1 superlative, unexcelled, finest, pre-eminent, first,
superb, unsurpassed, superior, excellent, paramount, first-rate,
Colloq A-1, A-one: Henry VIII was the best rider, the best
lance, and the best archer in England. 2 kindest, most
beneficent, nicest: Which of your brothers is the best to you?
3 foremost, choicest, pre-eminent, most suitable, most
appropriate, most qualified, most talented, most desirable, most
outstanding: We want the best person to fill the job. 4
largest, most, greatest: She had travelled the best part of the
way by ship. 5 richest, wealthiest; first-class, upper crust,
upper-class: He associates only with those he considers to be
the best people.
--n. 6 finest; first: The best is yet to come. 7 finery, best
clothes, Colloq best bib and tucker: He was all decked out in
his Sunday best. 8 greatest or maximum effort: He did his best
but it wasn't enough to win.
--adv. 9 most excellently, to the fullest extent, in the most
suitable way, most adroitly, most skilfully, most superbly, most
artistically: All the children performed well, but Alice
performed best. 10 with greatest satisfaction, most
successfully: He who laughs last laughs best.
--v. 11 win (out) over, conquer, beat, surpass, overpower, get
the better of, subdue, defeat, worst, vanquish, trounce, rout,
crush, master, outdo, overwhelm, overcome, outwit: He was
bested in three falls out of four.