adjective,comparative of good, with best as superlative.
of superior quality or excellence: a better coat; a better speech.
morally superior; more virtuous: They are no better than thieves.
of superior suitability, advisability, desirability, acceptableness, etc.; preferable: a better time for action.
larger; greater: the better part of a lifetime.
improved in health; healthier than before.
completely recovered in health.
adverb,comparative of well,with bestas superlative.
in a more appropriate or acceptable way or manner: to behave better.
to a greater degree; more completely or thoroughly: He knows the way better than we do. I probably know him better than anyone else.
more: I walked better than a mile to town.
verb (used with object)
to increase the good qualities of; make better; improve: to better one's grades;to better the lot of the suburban commuter.
to improve upon; surpass; exceed: We have bettered last year's production record.
Cards. to raise (a previous bid).
noun
that which has greater excellence or is preferable or wiser: the better of two choices.
Usually betters . those superior to one in wisdom, wealth, etc.
Idioms for better
better off,
in better circumstances.
more fortunate; happier: Because of his asthma, he would be better off in a different climate.
better oneself, to improve one's social standing, financial position, or education: He is going to night school because he wants to better himself.
for the better, in a way that is an improvement: His health changed for the better.
get / have the better of,
to get an advantage over.
to prevail against.
go (someone) one better, to exceed the effort of; be superior to: The neighbors went us one better by buying two new cars.
had better, would be wiser or more well-advised to; ought to: We had better stay indoors today.
no better than one should be, morally inferior; immoral or amoral: Don't speak to him; he's no better than he should be!
think better of,
to reconsider and decide more favorably or wisely regarding: I was tempted to make a sarcastic retort, but thought better of it.
to form a higher opinion of: I think better of him now that he's gone back to college.
Origin of better
1
First recorded before 900; Middle English bettre, Old English bet(te)ra; cognate with Old High German bezziro (German besser ), Dutch beter, Old Norse betr, Gothic batiza, equivalent to bat- (cognate with Old High German baz (adverb) “better”; akin to boot2) + -iza comparative suffix; suggested relation to Sanskrit bhadrá- “fortunate” is doubtful. See best
Then pair it with regulatory changes to help the housing market work better for more people.
Joe Biden’s surprisingly visionary housing plan, explained|Matthew Yglesias|July 9, 2020|Vox
As the actors do it more and more, they get better and better.
‘The Old Guard’ director Gina Prince-Bythewood on adapting a comic book story and keeping it ‘real’|radmarya|July 9, 2020|Fortune
With such training, police departments will be better positioned to collect and evaluate data on their own.
There’s little evidence showing which police reforms work|Sujata Gupta|July 9, 2020|Science News
Researchers are hopeful about using machine learning techniques to analyze medical data like patient records, which could help doctors better treat patients by knowing how they’ll likely respond to certain therapies.
Why messy data is a big problem in the fight against COVID-19|jonathanvanian2015|July 8, 2020|Fortune
Non-Black allies of color are also taking steps to support food justice — providing meals to a Black Lives Matter chapter, championing Black chefs, and better fostering workplace diversity.
How Black Communities Are Bridging the Food Access Gap|Nadra Nittle|July 8, 2020|Eater
We need to recover and grow the idea that the proper answer to bad speech is more and better speech.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yes, we do typically do better than Europe (and Canada, too, which is frequently awful on this score).
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The cartoonist, better known as Charb, was shot dead Wednesday.
France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers|Nico Hines|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He also wants to “replace every existing organism with a better one.”
Design Your Own Dinosaur: The Era of Custom DNA|Justin Jones|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Like most Jewish mothers, Myerson thought her daughter could do better.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America?|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The only redeeming feature was a better garden than most London houses have, a strip as wide as the house, and thirty yards long.
The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, Volume I (of II)|Charles Darwin
For a father he careth not sufficiently for his children: human fathers do this better!
Thus Spake Zarathustra|Friedrich Nietzsche
If things take the better turn, our condition will be surer and firmer than it was before.
History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. XV. (of XXI.)|Thomas Carlyle
When he tired of the tumult of the bar-room and a sense of his better self came over him, some one said: "Give us another, Tom."
Wit, Humor, Reason, Rhetoric, Prose, Poetry and Story Woven into Eight Popular Lectures|George W. Bain
Miss Mitford says somewhere,—to no one better than to herself does this apply.
Our Village|Mary Russell Mitford
British Dictionary definitions for better (1 of 2)
better1
/ (ˈbɛtə) /
adjective
the comparative of good
more excellent than other members of a particular group, category, etc
more suitable, advantageous, attractive, etc
improved in health
fully recovered in health
in more favourable circumstances, esp financially
better offin more favourable circumstances, esp financially
the better part ofa large part ofthe better part of a day
adverb
the comparative of well 1
in a more excellent manner; more advantageously, attractively, etc
in or to a greater degree or extent; moreshe is better loved than her sister
go one better(Brit intr; US tr)to outdo (a person) or improve upon (someone else's effort)
had betterwould be wise, sensible, etc toI had better be off
know better than tonot to be so stupid as to
think better of
to change one's course of action after reconsideration
to rate (a person) more highly
noun
the bettersomething that is the more excellent, useful, etc, of two such things
(usually plural)a person who is superior, esp in social standing or ability
all the better forimproved as a result of
all the better tomore suitable to
for better for worsewhatever the subsequent events or changes may be
for the betterby way of improvementa change for the better
get the better ofto defeat, outwit, or surpass
the better ofIrishhaving recovered fromI'm not the better of it yet
verb
to make or become better
(tr)to improve upon; surpass
Word Origin for better
Old English betera; related to Old Norse betri, Gothic batiza, Old High German beziro
British Dictionary definitions for better (2 of 2)