The next best thing to flying is gliding.

仅次于飞行的事就是滑翔。

《牛津词典》

The one thing he didn't have was a son. I think he's felt that a grandson is the next best thing.

有一样东西他没有，就是儿子。我觉得他有个外孙感觉也不错。

《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

San Sebastian is a coastal town that the best thing to do is to lay on the beach and wait for the next scrumptious meal.

圣塞巴斯蒂安是一个海滨城镇，在这里你最好做的事情是，躺在沙滩上，等待下一顿美味的大餐。

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Combinations of drugs are able to suppress the deadly virus in the body -- if not a cure, in the traditional sense but the next best thing.

VOA: special.2010.07.14

Before refrigerators were invented, the next best thing was an ice box.

VOA: special.2009.11.30

'It may have seen itself as the leader but it was basically the next best thing in its own Revolutionary discourse on the market.

VOA: standard.2010.07.26

But Yellowknife seems to be the next best thing: the first truly habitable site outside of our planet.

NEWYORKER: The Martian Chroniclers

At that time birth records for chimpanzees were not kept so Wolf did the next best thing: He asked the expert to estimate Little Mama's age.

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If families aren't willing to remove a pet, the next best thing is to isolate the pet from allergic family members as much as possible, by keeping it outdoors, or at least out of bedrooms.

CNN: What to do if you're allergic to your pet