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best bet

best bet

35 3.7
The choice that is most likely to succeed
  • noun
  • /bɛst bɛt/
translation icon : mejor opción
  • So this probably is not your best bet when it comes to home protection.

This is still the best bet for the next lump sum of cash.

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Examples

  • So, our best bet is to get to the airport.

  • The best bet here is for the intern to provide a variety of learning activities for pupils.

    Academic text (1999)
  • So your best bet is really just to have a plan in advance and stick to it.

  • If you are going through the employer's website, your best bet would be to contact them directly.

    Blog text (20)
  • If we want to do the same, our best bet is to retrieve him by air.

  • For a morning sunrise session, your best bet is usually the famous Flight Deck.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Posting in the morning is your best bet for high engagement.

    Blog text (9)
  • Your best bet is probably to take Fremont to the second light.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • "Your best bet is to head back to the freeway exit," said Meg.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • If you're looking for a reliable solution, your best bet is to hire an experienced professional.

Synonyms

best option
vsbest bet
22 1.3

A choice that is most suitable among other choices

emphasizes being reliable and advisable for success rather than just suitability
the best policy
vsbest bet
9 3.1

To choose the most sensible action in a situation

prioritizes reliability and likelihood of success rather than only sensibility
method of choice
vsbest bet
1 4.2

The best way to do something when there are several options

applies to general reliability and advisability rather than to specific techniques
odds-on choice
vsbest bet
5.3

A person or thing most likely to be chosen, for example to win

focuses on being reliable and advisable rather than only on likelihood
preem choice
vsbest bet
  • US
9.8

An option most people like best

focuses on reliability and advisability rather than mere personal preference

How Likely

best bet
35 3.7
long shot
  • Informal
58 4.6

Surface Forms

best bet singular
best bets plural

Morphology

best + bet

The meaning 'the most reliable or advisable option' is directly inferable from combining 'best' (most suitable) with 'bet' (a choice you wager on); a learner who knows both words can see it as the thing you would most confidently 'bet' on. The betting metaphor is transparent and common enough cross-linguistically that a B1 learner would likely understand the phrase without prior exposure.

Etymology

Best bet may come from betting at races, where a bet is a choice you make to try to 'win' and the 'best' bet is the one most likely to win. That's why today it means the option 'most likely to succeed'.