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Not the best word?

By Robert Basler
May 17, 2011
feedback | language

Microsoft to buy Skype for pricey $8.5 bln

NEW YORK, May 10 (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp plans to buy Internet phone service Skype for $8.5 billion in its biggest-ever acquisition, placing a rich bet on mobile and the Internet to try to best rivals such as Google Inc.

On the homepage, the story headlined “Microsoft to buy Skype” seems to have a blaring typo:

“Microsoft plans to buy Internet phone service Skype for $8.5 billion in its biggest-ever acquisition, placing a rich bet on mobile and the Internet to try to best rivals such as Google. “

They want to “best rivals such as Google” or they want to “beat” rivals? Hmmm.

K.B.

Our word choice was fine. In addition to performing its duties as an adjective, adverb and noun, the word best can be a verb: to get the better of; defeat; beat: He easily bested his opponent in hand-to-hand combat. She bested me in the argument…

GBU Editor

Microsoft Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Steve Ballmer (L) and Skype CEO Tony Bates shake hands at their joint news conference in San Francisco, May 10, 2011. REUTERS/Susana Bates

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