bestseller

noun

best·​sell·​er ˈbes(t)-ˈse-lər 

variants or best seller

plural bestsellers or best sellers

: a popular product and especially a book whose sales are among the highest of its class

[Isabel] Allende's new book is spun from the stuff of epic romances: eternal love, lost innocence, distant locales, revolution. In short, all the elements of a sure bestseller.

—Julie K. L. Dam

The Harvard Book Store Café … is not only the obvious choice for the latest best seller but the intelligent break for a shopper's graze.

—Alice Rubenstein Gochman

Two million copies have been sold, and it has been on the New York Times bestseller list for four years.

—Judith Daniels

… the two Fisher-Price bestsellers are the company's Fun with Food [toy] series and the Fisher-Price Fun with Food Kitchen.

—The New Yorker

She knows what the mass market wants—Vanderbilt and Chaps [fragrances] are best sellers—and she has a flair for what appeals to a more specialized market …

—Amy Singer

best-sellerdom

ˈbes(t)-ˈse-lər-dəm 

noun

best-selling

ˈbes(t)-ˈse-liŋ 

adjective

Examples of bestseller in a Sentence

She has written several best sellers.

Recent Examples on the Web

An international phenomenon, A Thousand Boy Kisses was on the New York Times bestseller list for seven months. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 June 2024

This bestseller has become a viral hit for its undetectable finish and fluid formula, which is packed with skin-caring extracts to reduce blemishes, dark circles and fine lines over time. —Tracy Achonwa, Vogue, 26 June 2024

In Julia Quinn’s bestseller An Offer from a Gentleman, Benedict romanced and married a domestic worker named Sophie Beckett in a Cinderella-type story. —Keisha Hatchett, TVLine, 14 June 2024

But his latest collaboration presented the perennial bestseller with a first: Write with an author who is no longer alive. —Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 3 June 2024

These towels have earned a 4.3-star rating with more than 13,000 reviews. $49.99 Amazon Shop Now Pottery Barn Classic Awning Striped Towel These beach towels are a Pottery Barn bestseller. —Claire Peltier, ABC News, 31 May 2024

Over 30 novels and short stories, which have become bestsellers synonymous with summertime. —Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 11 June 2024

Hulu Adapted from James Clavell’s 1970 bestseller by Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, the story takes place in feudal Japan circa 1590. —Hugh Hart, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2024

The shop offers other concoctions, including frozen yogurt, hard scoops of chocolate and vanilla custard and sundaes, but the soft serve custard cones are bestsellers. —Gina Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, 26 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

best-seller

noun

best-sell·​er

ˈbes(t)-ˈsel-ər

: an article (as a book) whose sales are among the highest of its kind

best-selling

-ˈsel-iŋ

adjective