absolute (esp. AmE)
Christmas usually brings out the absolute worst in sentimental platitudes.

believe, think
She always thinks the worst of people.

anticipate, assume, expect
It doesn't matter what I say. My mother always expects the worst.

fear, suspect
be prepared for, be ready for, prepare for
Although all the votes have not yet been counted, the party is preparing for the worst.

confirm
I had not expected to do well in my exams, and the letter confirmed the worst.

avoid, be spared, escape
Scotland seemed to have escaped the worst of the recession.

do your
Let them do their worst (= be as difficult as they can)—we'll fight them every inch of the way.

be over
He was still very ill, but the worst seemed to be over.

at (sb/sth's) worst
At worst, the drug can be fatal.
At its worst, bullying is a kind of torture.

through the worst
Her sister helped her through the worst of her illness.

bring out the worst in sb
Pressure can bring out the worst in people.

get the worst of it
If he got in a fight, he would get the worst of it.

the worst that can happen
Don't worry—the worst that can happen is that you'll get a fine.

Worst is used with these nouns:
aspect, atrocity, crisis, critic, culprit, disaster, drought, enemy, example, excess, failing, fear, kind, level, nightmare, offender, part, scenario, sort, sufferer, suspicion