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 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

The book was later acquired by Grand Central Publishing in 2021 and became a bestseller. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 20 Nov. 2024

The popular Ugg Classic Slipper II, a bestseller that comes in at $120 has a lookalike in the Koolaburra Tizzey ($80). —Erinne Magee, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Nov. 2024

What caused the spike, which made Doja’s project a bestseller once more? While Scarlet was released in September 2023, it was not made available on every format. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

In the Heat of the Night and In Cold Blood, based on the Truman Capote bestseller. —Jennifer Frederick, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2024

Hoka regularly offers up to 30 percent off on its bestsellers (check out the rotating markdowns here). —Adrienne So, WIRED, 1 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