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

The former peaked at No. 13, while her most recent offering became her first top 10 bestseller in late 2023. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

Other favorites included bestsellers like Alex Michaelides’ The Silent Patient (2019) and Lisa Jewell’s None of This is True (2023). —Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 4 Dec. 2024

Merrell: Take up to 40% off during Merrell's Cyber Week sale, and score big savings on its bestsellers across the site. —Jamie Spain, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Dec. 2024

Both of these and more bestsellers sitewide are 30% off. —Kiana Murden, Vogue, 2 Dec. 2024

Start your search with these bestsellers for women and men, which are great for instant gratification or being tucked under a certain tree. —Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 2 Dec. 2024

The band is back on a pair of tallies in the United Kingdom this week with their Greatest Hits compilation, which has become a bestseller again. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024

Already securing a spot on the New York Times bestseller list, this Taylor Swift gift is trending for Christmas 2024. —Claire Sullivan, WWD, 21 Nov. 2024

Another film adaptation of a Colleen Hoover bestseller is headed for the big screen and has landed its lead: Anne Hathaway will star in Verity, which will be developed by Amazon MGM Studios. —Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 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