finest

/ˈfaɪ.nɪst/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfaɪ.nɪst/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfī-nəst/ (ame, mw)

finest — noun

1. the single best one out of a whole group of similar things, often shown off as t

1.名詞C1
釋義

the single best one out of a whole group of similar things, often shown off as the top quality a person, place, or maker can offer.

例句

This wine is the finest the small Italian vineyard has ever produced.

the finest [subject] has produced — superlative-as-noun pattern

Hana served her guests the finest from the family tea collection.

the finest from [collection] — partitive use

同義詞
  • best

    More common and neutral; 'finest' carries a slight upmarket or artisanal connotation.

  • cream

    Idiomatic ('the cream of the crop'); informal compared to 'finest'.

  • pick

    As in 'the pick of the bunch'; informal and usually about a selection.

反義詞
  • worst

    Direct opposite when ranking from top to bottom.

  • lowest grade

    Used for goods or produce of the poorest quality.

文法句型

the finest of [group]

[possessive] finest

用法筆記

Almost always preceded by 'the' or a possessive ('our finest', 'Italy's finest'). Distinguish from sense 2 by context — sense 1 is about objects, produce, or work quality; sense 2 refers exclusively to police officers as a group.

常見錯誤

❌She bought a finest bottle of wine.
✅She bought the finest bottle of wine.
💡the noun 'finest' must take 'the' or a possessive, never the indefinite article 'a'.
❌These are finest paintings in the gallery.
✅These are the finest paintings in the gallery.
💡when 'finest' modifies a plural noun, 'the' is still required.

2. the police officers serving a particular city, named with admiration for the wor

2.名詞C2
釋義

the police officers serving a particular city, named with admiration for the work they do.

例句

New York's finest arrived within minutes of the alarm at the bank.

[city]'s finest — fixed civic praise pattern

The mayor thanked Chicago's finest for their work during the storm rescue.

thank / praise + [city]'s finest

同義詞
  • officers

    Neutral and standard; lacks the celebratory tone of 'finest'.

  • the boys in blue

    Informal British and American; same affectionate register as 'finest'.

  • the force

    Used by police themselves and in news copy; more institutional than 'finest'.

文法句型

[city]'s finest

the city's finest

用法筆記

Almost exclusively American English and most often preceded by a US city name (`New York's finest`, `LA's finest`). Often slightly tongue-in-cheek or ceremonial — newsreaders, politicians, and crime fiction use it; ordinary speech says 'the police'. Distinguish from sense 1 by the obligatory city-possessive: 'New York's finest' is sense 2; 'New York's finest hotel' is sense 1.

常見錯誤

❌A finest stopped me on the street.
✅One of New York's finest stopped me on the street.
💡this sense is grammatically a plural-only collective and cannot be split into a singular 'a finest'.
❌London's finest arrested the thief.
✅The Metropolitan Police arrested the thief.
💡British English does not use 'finest' for the police; the expression is firmly American.