/ wɜːst; NAmE wɜːrst/ adjective , adverb , noun , verb
■ adjective
(superlative of bad ) of the poorest quality or lowest standard; worse than any other person or thing of a similar kind :
It was by far the worst speech he had ever made.
What's the worst thing that could happen?
What she said confirmed my worst fears (= proved they were right) .
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IDIOMS
- be your own worst enemy
- come off worst
■ adverb
(superlative of badly ) most badly or seriously :
He was voted the worst dressed celebrity.
Manufacturing industry was worst affected by the fuel shortage.
Worst of all , I lost the watch my father had given me.
■ noun
the worst [ sing. ] the most serious or unpleasant thing that could happen; the part, situation, possibility, etc. that is worse than any other :
The worst of the storm was over.
When they did not hear from her, they feared the worst .
The worst of it is that I can't even be sure if they received my letter.
He was always optimistic, even when things were at their worst .
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IDIOMS
- at (the) worst
- bring out the worst in sb
- do your worst
- get the worst of it
- if the worst comes to the worst
- the worst of all (possible) worlds
■ verb
[ vn ] ( old-fashioned or formal ) [ usually passive ] to defeat sb in a fight, a contest or an argument
SYN get the better of
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English wierresta , wyrresta (adjective), wierst , wyrst (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to worse .