Meaning of better in English

better
adjective
uk
/ˈbet.ər/ us
/ˈbet̬.ɚ/
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A1
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.
It's much better to have a small, cosy room than a big, cold one.
The book was better than I expected.
She is much better at tennis than I am.
It is far (= much) better to save some of your money than to spend it all at once.
Fresh vegetables are better for you (= more beneficial to you) than canned ones.
The longer you keep this wine, the better it tastes (= it has a better flavour if you keep it for a long time).
The bed was hard, but it was better than nothing (= than not having a bed).
A1
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.
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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Good, better and best
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Idioms

be better than sex
better late than never
better luck next time
better safe than sorry
better the devil you know (than the devil you don't)
go one better
be no better than (a) something
better
adverb
uk
/ˈbet.ər/ us
/ˈbet̬.ɚ/
A2
in a more suitable, pleasing, or satisfactory way, or to a greater degree:
The next time he took the test, he was better prepared.
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.
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":
She is better-looking (= more attractive) than her brother.
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?
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 someone had better do something
A2
used to give advice or to make a threat:
You'd better (= you should) go home now before the rain starts.
He'd better pay me back that money he owes me soon, or else.
It's late - we'd better get going.
You'd better warn her not to be late.
You'd better not be lying to me!
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  • It's a long day - you'd better take some food with you.
  • There's a lot to do so we'd better make a start.
  • He'd better make a bit more effort this time.
 someone would do better UK
it would be wiser:
You would do better to bring the plants inside when the weather gets colder.
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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Good, better and best
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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
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: 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
uk
/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:
You shouldn't be so mean to your mother - she deserves 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.
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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Surpassing in quality or number
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Idioms

for better or (for) worse
for the better
get the better of someone
so much the better
better
verb [ T ]
uk
/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.
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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Making things better
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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
(Definition of better from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

better | American Dictionary

better
adjective
us
/ˈbet̬·ər/

better adjective (HIGHER STANDARD)

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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
us
/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
us
/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 ]
us
/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?
 
A1,A1,A2,A2

Translations of better

in Chinese (Traditional)
較好的, 更好的, （傷病）好轉的，康復的…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
较好的, 更好的, （伤病）好转的，康复的…
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in Spanish
mejor, recuperado, más…
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in Portuguese
comparativo de "good":, melhor, melhorar…
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in more languages
in Japanese
in Turkish
in French
in Catalan
in Dutch
in Arabic
in Czech
in Danish
in Indonesian
in Thai
in Vietnamese
in Polish
in Malay
in German
in Norwegian
in Korean
in Ukrainian
in Italian
in Russian
“good” の比較級: ～よりよい, （病状が）よくなって, 回復して…
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daha iyi, sağlığı daha iyi, daha sağlıklı…
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meilleur/-eure, mieux, meilleur…
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millor, millorar, superar…
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beter, beste, verbeteren…
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أَفْضَل, أَفْضَل حالاً, بِشَكْل أَفْضَل…
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lepší, lépe, ten/ta lepší…
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bedre, have det bedre, føle sig bedre…
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lebih baik, lebih sehat, sembuh…
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ดีกว่า, ดีขึ้น (สภาพร่างกาย), เป็นที่ชอบหรือพึงพอใจมากกว่า…
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ốt hơn, khoẻ hơn, thích hợp hơn…
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lepszy, zdrowszy, lepiej…
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lebih baik, lebih sihat, terbaik…
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besser, (gesundheitlich) besser, der/die/das Bessere…
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bedre, friskere, den bedre…
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“good”의 비교급, 더 좋은, (몸이) 나은…
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кращий, дужий, найкращий…
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comparativo di “good”: migliore, guarito, meglio…
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лучший, лучше (себя чувствовать), лучше…
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