I. bet ‧ ter 1 S1 W1 /ˈbetə $ -ər/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: betera ]
1 . [comparative of good] more useful, interesting, satisfactory, effective, suitable etc OPP worse :
Your stereo is better than mine.
There must be a better way to do this.
a better-quality car
much/a lot/far better
We now have a much better understanding of the disease.
better still/even better
It was even better than last year.
► Better is a comparative form. Do not say ‘more better’.
2 . [comparative of well]
a) more healthy or less ill or painful than before OPP worse :
She is a little better today, the doctor says.
I’m feeling much better, thank you.
b) completely well again after an illness:
When you’re better we can see about planning a trip.
I hope he gets better (=recovers from an illness) soon.
3 . it is better/it would be better used to give your opinion or make a suggestion about what you think should be done or happen
it is better to do something
It’s much better to get a proper written agreement.
it is better/it would be better if
It might be better if you stayed here.
4 . get better to improve:
Her English isn’t really getting any better.
Things can only get better.
5 . no better
a) not better than something else or something before:
The following day the weather was no better.
b) used to say that something is the best
there is no better way/example/place etc
There’s no better way of exploring the region.
6 . nothing better
a) used to say that you really like something or think that something is very good
like/love/enjoy nothing better (than)
She likes nothing better than a nice long walk along the beach.
There’s nothing better than beating someone who’s playing well.
b) used to say that a thing or situation is not very good, but is the only thing possible or available
have nothing better to do
Have you got nothing better to do than sit there playing that silly game?
I only picked it up because there was nothing better to read.
7 . that’s better spoken used to say that something has improved, that you are happier or more comfortable, or to encourage someone:
Ah, that’s better. I needed to sit down.
‘Can you turn it down?’ ‘Is that better?’
8 . better late than never spoken used to say that even if something happens late or someone arrives late, this is better than it not happening or their not arriving at all
⇨ your better half/other half at ↑ half 2 (8), ⇨ the best/better part of something at ↑ part 1 (9), ⇨ against your better judgment at ↑ judgment (1), ⇨ sb’s better nature at ↑ nature (2), ⇨ better luck next time at ↑ luck 1 (14), ⇨ better the devil you know at ↑ devil (11), ⇨ have seen better days at ↑ see 1 (30)
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THESAURUS
▪ better the ↑ comparative of good:
She wants a better job.
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The sales figures were far better than expected.
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Lucy’s better at French than I am.
▪ superior better, especially in quality:
German cars are far superior.
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a superior product
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He thinks men are superior to women.
▪ preferable formal more suitable or useful – used when saying which one you prefer:
Cash would be preferable.
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Anything would be preferable to the system we have now.
▪ be an improvement on something to be better than something that existed before:
The engine is a huge improvement on previous diesel engines.
▪ have the edge to be slightly better than another person or thing – used especially when saying which one will win in a game or competition:
Federer is likely to have the edge in Sunday’s game.
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For me, this film has the edge over the others.
▪ be miles ahead (of somebody/something) ( also be streets ahead (of somebody/something) British English ) informal to be very much better than someone or something that you are competing against:
The company is streets ahead of its rivals.
▪ there’s no comparison spoken used to emphasize that one person or thing is clearly much better than someone or something else:
There’s no comparison between the two teams.
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‘Which apartment do you prefer?' 'Well, there’s no comparison. The first one we saw is bigger, quieter, and has much nicer furniture.'
II. better 2 S1 W1 BrE AmE adverb [comparative of well]
1 . to a higher standard or quality OPP worse :
He can speak French a lot better than I can.
Your bike will run better if you oil it.
⇨ fare better at ↑ fare 2
2 . to a higher degree SYN more :
She knows this town better than you do.
I think I like the red one better.
Potter is better known for his TV work.
3 . had better
a) used to give advice about what someone should do, or to say what you should do or need to do:
I’d better go and get ready.
I think you’d better ask Jo first.
You had better not tell Oliver (=it is not a good idea) .
b) used to threaten someone:
You’d better keep your mouth shut about this.
► In speech, people usually shorten had to ‘d , and may not pronounce it at all. But do not leave out had or ’d in writing : You’d better (NOT You better) come here!
4 . do better to perform better or reach a higher standard:
We did better than all the other schools.
You can do better than that!
5 . the sooner the better/the bigger the better etc used to emphasize that you would prefer something to happen as soon as possible, want something to be as big as possible etc:
School finishes at the end of the week, and the sooner the better as far as I’m concerned.
The younger you start learning a language, the better you’ll speak it.
6 . go one better (than somebody) informal to do something more successfully than someone else:
The following year Lewis went one better by winning the gold medal.
Of course, they had to go one better and have the whole garden redesigned.
⇨ ↑ better off
III. better 3 BrE AmE noun
1 . the better the one that is higher in quality, more suitable etc when you are comparing two similar people or things:
It’s hard to decide which one’s the better.
2 . get the better of somebody
a) if your feelings or wishes get the better of you, they make you behave in a way you would not normally behave:
My curiosity finally got the better of me and I opened the letter.
I think her nerves got the better of her.
b) to defeat someone or deal successfully with a problem
3 . for the better in a way that improves the situation:
a definite change for the better
The president’s fortunes seem, at last, to have taken a turn for the better (=started to improve) .
4 . so much the better used to say that something would be even better or bring even more advantages:
If they can do them both at the same time, then so much the better.
5 . be all the better for something to be improved by a particular action, change etc:
I think it’s all the better for that extra ten minutes’ cooking.
6 . for better or (for) worse used to say that something must be accepted, whether it is good or bad, because it cannot be changed:
Work is, for better or worse, becoming more flexible nowadays.
7 . your betters old-fashioned people who are more important than you or deserve more respect
⇨ ↑ worse 2 , ⇨ elders and betters at ↑ elder 2 (2)
IV. better 4 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
1 . to be higher in quality, amount etc than someone or something else:
His total of five gold medals is unlikely to be bettered.
2 . better yourself to improve your position in society by getting a better education or earning more money
3 . formal to improve something:
bettering the lot of the working classes