Vanquish

[kitty2003]

vanquish (6)    b?s?e?

[kitty2003]

thanks to anyone who helps

[mallyh]

bested?

[newmodarmy]

Bested looks good. But I do dislike that word.

[mallyh]

the only other word i can find if the b is wrong is..... master 

[Canary42]

Busted is as good as bested, but both are the wrong tense.

[newmodarmy]

I think bested is the bestest answer.

[Neveracrossword]

Is the S definitely correct? My first thought was Better.

[Canary42]

.... or bashed for that matter 😁

[newmodarmy]

I agree canary. I withdraw my support for bested.

Where was your b from.?

 

[Canary42]

Better is much better (pun intended)

[newmodarmy]

Or bester?🤔

[newmodarmy]

Any thoughts, kitty? Could you make Master work?

[johnT]

Bested, Busted or Bashed are all past tense - while the clue Vanquish is present tense.

Are you sure of your letters B & S & as I suspect DEFEAT is more fitting an answer.

 

Just saying

[newmodarmy]

All 3 letters would have to be wrong for Defeat to fit.

I think defeat isn't quite the same meaning as vanquish ....vanquish is stronger and more permanent.

Hopefully kitty will come back to confirm the clue and letters.

[MargoTester]

Defeat is given as a synonym for vanquish as are reduce and subdue - if the answer is 6 letters. Unless the clue was vanquished, in which case bested is a possibility 

[johnT]

Of the three letters you've got - if just the letter B was wrong, then answer could be MASTER (leaving the letters S & E correct).

[Neveracrossword]

JohnT, yes, I too thought Mallyh's early suggestion, Master, was a definite possibility! 

[newmodarmy]

I don't think kitty will be back- her thanks at the outset suggests so to me.

Just getting back to bested- it just grates when I hear it, maybe because as far as I know there is no verb to best; and if it's defeating a single opponent why is bested preferred to bettered?

[Neveracrossword]

NMA, Chambers has Best as a verb...

[JJ109]

To best and to worst both mean to beat!