Meaning of better in English

better

adjective

/ˈbet.ər/ us

/ˈbet̬.ɚ/

Add to word list Add to word list

comparative of good : of a higher standard, or more suitable, pleasing, or effective than other things or people:

He stood near the front to get a better view.

Relations between the two countries have never been better.

better than The book was better than I expected.

It's much better to have a small, cosy room than a big, cold one.

better at She is much better at tennis than I am.

far better It is far (= much) better to save some of your money than to spend it all at once.

better for Fresh vegetables are better for you (= more beneficial to you) than canned ones.

the better The longer you keep this wine, the better it tastes (= it has a better flavour if you keep it for a long time).

better than nothing The bed was hard, but it was better than nothing (= than not having a bed).

If you are or get better after an illness or injury, you are healthy again:

I hope you get better soon.

get better

to improve:

After the ceasefire, the situation in the capital got better.

More examplesFewer examples

This car is far better than our old one.
There's nothing better than fresh bread, straight from the oven.
If we sit near the front of the bus, we'll have a better view.
French croissants are so much better than the English ones.
Her writing is better but there is still room for improvement.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Good, better and best

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Recovering from illness

Idioms

better late than never
better luck next time
better safe than sorry
better than a poke in the eye (with a sharp stick)
better than sex
better the devil you know (than the devil you don't)
go one better
be no better than (a) something

better

adverb

/ˈbet.ər/ us

/ˈbet̬.ɚ/

in a more suitable, pleasing, or satisfactory way, or to a greater degree:

The next time he took the test, he was better prepared.

much better They did much better (= were more successful) in the second half of the game.

I like this jacket much better than (= I prefer it to) the other one.

better than She knows her way around the college better than I do.

to a greater degree, when used as the comparative of adjectives beginning with "good" or "well":

better looking She is better looking (= more attractive) than her brother.

better known He is much better known for his poetry than his songwriting.

better still (also even better)

used to say that a particular choice would be more satisfactory:

Why don't you give her a call or, better still, go and see her?

someone had better do something

used to give advice or to make a threat:

You'd better (= you should) go home now before the rain starts.

someone would do better UK

it would be wiser:

You would do better to bring the plants inside when the weather gets colder.

More examplesFewer examples

Stand over there and then you'll be able to see it better.
This new microscope performs better than all of its competitors.
I like simple food better than fancy dishes.
If you'd taken more time over this essay, you could have done it much better.
Many companies still treat their management staff better than their workers.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Good, better and best

See more results »

Grammar

Had better

We use had better to refer to the present or the future, to talk about actions we think people should do or which are desirable in a specific situation. The verb form is always had, not have. We normally shorten it to ’d better in informal situations. It is followed by the infinitive without to: …

Had better: form and meaning

Had better: negative and question forms

The negative of had better is had better not (or ’d better not): …

Had better or be better, be best?

We use had better to give advice in a specific situation. We use the phrase be better or be best + to-infinitive for more general suggestions: …

Had better or would rather, would prefer?

We don’t use had better when we talk about preferences. We use would rather or would prefer. …

Had better: typical errors

We use had better to give specific advice, not to talk about obligations or requirements; instead, we use have to, have got to or must: …

better

noun

/ˈbet.ər/ us

/ˈbet̬.ɚ/

[ U ]

something that is of a higher standard than something else:

He ran the 100 metres in 9.91 seconds, and I have not seen better (= a faster result) this year.

[ U ]

behaviour, work, or treatment that is more suitable, pleasing, or satisfactory:

deserve better You shouldn't be so mean to your mother - she deserves better.

expect better I didn't think he would go out without telling me - I expected better of him.

betters [ plural ] old-fashioned

people of a higher rank or social position than you:

As children, we were taught not to argue with our elders and betters.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Surpassing in quality or number

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Good, better and best

Idioms

for better or (for) worse
for the better
get the better of someone
so much the better

better

verb [ T ]

/ˈbet.ər/ us

/ˈbet̬.ɚ/

to improve a situation:

The organization was established to better conditions for the disabled.

better yourself

to improve your social position, often by getting a better job or education:

He tried to better himself by taking evening classes.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Making things better

See more results »

better yourself

phrase

to improve your social position, often by getting a better job or education:

He tried to better himself by taking evening classes.

She'd spent most of her adult life trying to better herself.

He was keen to better himself and make something of his life.

See also

better verb

Examples

He worked hard to better himself.
She was determined to better herself and set a good example to her children.
These are people who want to better themselves through education.

(Definition of better from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

better | American Dictionary

better

adjective

/ˈbet̬·ər/

better adjective (HIGHER STANDARD)

Add to word list Add to word list

of a higher standard, or more suitable, pleasing, or effective than other things or people; comparative ofgood:

He sat near the front to get a better view.

Relations between the two countries have never been better.

She is much better at tennis than I am.

Better can also be used as the comparative to form adjectives beginning with good:

She’s good-looking, and her brother is even better-looking.

Idioms

better luck next time
better off
better still
the better part of

better

adverb

/ˈbet̬·ər/

better adverb (GREATER DEGREE)

to a greater degree, or in a more suitable, pleasing, or satisfactory way; comparative ofwell:

The next time he took the test, he was better prepared.

I like this jacket much better than the brown one.

She knows her way around the college better than I do.

She did much better (= She was more successful) in the second part of the exam.

If you are or get better after an illness or injury, you are healthy and no longer ill.

Idioms

better late than never

better safe than sorry

better

verb [ T ]

fml

/ˈbet̬·ər/

better verb [T] (IMPROVE)

to improve a situation, condition, or person:

The organization was established to better conditions for the disabled.

better

noun [ U ]

/ˈbet̬·ər/

better noun [U] (IMPROVEMENT)

used in comparisons to show that a condition is improved:

The cleaner the glass is, the better you can see.

(Definition of better from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

What is the pronunciation of better?

Translations of better

in Chinese (Traditional)

較好的, 更好的, （傷病）好轉的，康復的…

in Chinese (Simplified)

较好的, 更好的, （伤病）好转的，康复的…

in Spanish

mejor, recuperado, más…

in Portuguese

comparativo de "good":, melhor, melhorar…

in more languages

in Marathi

in Japanese

in Turkish

in French

in Catalan

in Dutch

in Tamil

in Hindi

in Gujarati

in Danish

in Swedish

in Malay

in German

in Norwegian

in Urdu

in Ukrainian

in Telugu

in Bengali

in Czech

in Indonesian

in Thai

in Vietnamese

in Polish

in Korean

in Italian

उच्च मानांक, योग्य, सुखकारक…

“good” の比較級: ～よりよい, （病状が）よくなって, 回復して…

daha iyi, sağlığı daha iyi, daha sağlıklı…

meilleur/-eure, mieux, meilleur…

millor, millorar, superar…

beter, beste, verbeteren…

ஒப்பீடு [X:நல்லது]: மற்ற விஷயங்கள் அல்லது நபர்களை விட உயர் தரமான, அல்லது மிகவும் பொருத்தமான, மகிழ்ச்சியான அல்லது பயனுள்ள ஒன்று…

(स्तर, योग्यता, प्रभाविकता में) बेहतर…

વધુ સારું, સ્વસ્થ, વધુ યોગ્ય…

bedre, have det bedre, føle sig bedre…

bättre, hellre, [den…

lebih baik, lebih sihat, terbaik…

besser, (gesundheitlich) besser, der/die/das Bessere…

bedre, friskere, den bedre…

بہتر, ٹھیک, صحت یاب…

кращий, дужий, найкращий…

పోల్చుతూ చెప్పేది: ఇతర వస్తువులు లేక వ్యక్తుల కన్నా ఎక్కువ ఉన్నత ప్రమాణాలు కలది లేక ఎక్కువ అనువైనది, తగినది లేక ఆహ్లాదకరమైనది లేక ప్రభావంతమైనది, సమర్థవంతమైనది…

আরও ভালো, তুলনামূলকঃ একটি উচ্চ মানের অথবা অন্যান্য বস্তু বা ব্যক্তিগণের তুলনায় আরও উপযুক্ত, আনন্দদায়ক…

lepší, lépe, ten/ta lepší…

lebih baik, lebih sehat, sembuh…

ดีกว่า, ดีขึ้น (สภาพร่างกาย), เป็นที่ชอบหรือพึงพอใจมากกว่า…

ốt hơn, khoẻ hơn, thích hợp hơn…

lepszy, zdrowszy, lepiej…