INDEX:
1. better than someone or something else
2. very much better than someone or something
3. to reach a higher standard than someone or something else
4. better than before
5. to do something better than before
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ WORSE
better after an illness : ↑ RECOVER
to make someone better when they are ill : ↑ CURE
better than someone in a game or competition : ↑ BEAT/DEFEAT
to make someone feel better : ↑ COMFORT/MAKE SB FEEL BETTER
see also
↑ BEST
↑ GOOD
↑ IMPROVE
↑ PERFECT
↑ SUITABLE
↑ CONVENIENT
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1. better than someone or something else
▷ better /ˈbetəʳ/ [adjective]
▪ We could either go to Florida or California -- which do you think is better?
better than
▪ Your job is better than mine.
▪ My sister is a better student than me.
▪ The sales figures were better than we expected.
better at something/doing something
▪ Lucy’s better at mathematics than I am.
far better/much better/a lot better
▪ His latest novel is far better than anything he’s written before.
better quality
▪ Consumers are demanding lower prices, better quality, and a larger selection of goods.
better [adverb]
▪ You can see much better from up here.
▪ Ralph would be able to explain this a lot better than I can.
▷ superior /suːˈpɪ ə riəʳ, sjuː-ǁsʊ-/ [adjective]
products, skills, or services that are superior are better than those that they are competing against :
▪ Our aim is to provide our clients with a superior service at all times.
▪ The company has a reputation for superior technology and customer loyalty.
superior to
▪ They claimed that a vegetarian diet was superior to a meat diet.
superiority /suːˌpɪ ə riˈɒrɪti, suːˌpɪ ə riˈɒrəti, sjuː-ǁsʊˌpɪ ə riˈɔː-, -ˈɑː-/ [uncountable noun]
▪ Its chief selling point is the undoubted superiority of its after-sales service.
▷ of a higher standard/of higher quality /əv ə ˌhaɪəʳ ˈstændəʳd, əv ˌhaɪəʳ ˈkwɒlə̇tiǁ-ˈkwɑː-/ [adjective phrase] written
goods or services that are of a higher standard or higher quality are better than they were previously or better than goods or services of a similar kind :
▪ In the mid-eighties, American consumers began to purchase more and more Japanese products, believing they were better value and of higher quality.
of a higher standard/of higher quality than
▪ Government officials are claiming that the health care available here is of a much higher standard than in neighbouring countries.
▷ beat /biːt/ [transitive verb not in progressive] informal
to be much better and more enjoyable than something else :
▪ Jake’s home-made burgers beat anything you can get at fast-food restaurants.
beat doing something
▪ It’s not a particularly good job, but it certainly beats being unemployed.
▷ a cut above /ə ˌkʌt əˈbʌv◂/ [adjective phrase] informal
clearly better than others of the same type :
▪ Musicians of the time admitted that the Ellington Orchestra was a cut above all others.
a cut above the rest
▪ The first applicant we interviewed was definitely a cut above the rest.
▷ have the edge on/over /hæv ði ˈedʒ ɒn, əʊvəʳ/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be slightly better than something or someone else :
have the edge on/over something
▪ Their new laptop computer seems to have the edge on the competition.
have the edge on/over somebody
▪ Having spent a year in Brazil, she hoped she would have the edge over the other language students.
▷ have an advantage over /hæv ən ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ əʊvəʳǁ -ˈvæn-/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be better, more effective, and more useful than something else, especially because of a particular feature :
have an advantage over something
▪ The fact that this computer is so simple to use means that it has an advantage over most other systems.
have a distinct advantage over something
have a clear advantage over something
▪ For certain types of work, natural wood has distinct advantages over plastics.
▷ be more than a match for /biː ˌmɔːʳ ð ə n ə ˈmætʃ fɔːʳ/ [verb phrase]
to be much more skilful and more successful at doing something than someone else :
be more than a match for somebody
▪ When it comes to TV debates, Senator Murphy’s more than a match for any of his rivals.
be more than a match for something
▪ The rebel army’s tactics are more than a match for the nation’s military forces.
▷ special /ˈspeʃ ə l/ [adjective]
better than something of the usual type, for example by being more enjoyable, more useful, or of higher quality :
▪ I don’t want an ordinary wedding. I want something special.
▪ Of my nine gold medals, this one is the most special.
▪ Some aides privately complain that the Senator receives special treatment.
2. very much better than someone or something
▷ be/stand head and shoulders above /biː, stænd ˌhed ənd ˈʃəʊldəʳz əbʌv/ [verb phrase] informal
to be clearly doing very much better at something than someone else :
▪ Winger’s stands head and shoulders above every other restaurant in town.
▪ Kander and Ebb are head and shoulders above the others writing for the musical theater these days.
▷ there’s no comparison /ðeəʳz ˌnəʊ kəmˈpærə̇s ə n/ spoken
use this to emphasize that one person or thing is clearly much better than someone or something else :
▪ ‘Which apartment do you prefer?’ ‘Well, there’s no comparison. The first one we saw is bigger, quieter, and has much nicer furniture.’
▷ put somebody/something in the shade /ˌpʊt somebody/something ɪn ðə ˈʃeɪd/ [verb phrase] British
to be so much better than others that their achievements are made to seem ordinary :
▪ Coca Cola’s prize-winning advertising campaign has put all others in the shade.
▪ The generous response of the public to the disaster puts the government’s contribution somewhat in the shade.
▷ eclipse /ɪˈklɪps/ [transitive verb] written
to be so much better than someone or something else that they are made to seem unimportant and not worth paying any attention to :
▪ Channel 5‘s tremendous line-up of TV programmes has eclipsed its competitors’ best efforts.
▪ Eclipsed by the US champion at last year’s Olympic Games, Schofield has decided to retire.
▷ be in a different league /biː ɪn ə ˌdɪf ə rənt ˈliːg/ [verb phrase]
if someone is in a different league, they are so much better and more skilful than someone who does similar work that it would be stupid even to compare them :
▪ You can’t possibly compare Thomas Hardy and Wilkie Collins - Hardy is in a different league.
▷ put somebody/something to shame /ˌpʊt somebody/something tə ˈʃeɪm/ [verb phrase]
to be so much better than someone else that they feel slightly embarrassed by their own lack of skill or quality :
▪ The elegant way she was dressed put the rest of us to shame.
▪ Acapulco is a cosmopolitan city with a nightlife that puts Rio to shame.
▷ run rings around /ˌrʌn ˈrɪŋz əraʊnd/ [verb phrase] informal
to perform with much greater skill than someone else in a competitive activity such as a sport or an argument :
run rings around somebody
▪ It’s no use arguing with Sophie -- she can run rings around anyone who disagrees with her.
▪ Tottenham Hotspur are running rings around Arsenal in the most exciting cup final in years.
▷ be streets ahead /biː ˈstriːts əˌhed/ [verb phrase] British informal
to be very much better than something of the same type or than someone you are competing with :
be streets ahead of
▪ The script is original and funny, streets ahead of any other situation comedy.
▪ We don’t need to worry about this year’s sales figures -- they’re streets ahead of the competition.
▷ leave somebody standing /ˌliːv somebody ˈstændɪŋ/ [verb phrase] British
to be so much better at something than other people that they cannot possibly compete successfully with you :
▪ It seems that in this campaign the Labour candidate has left the opposition standing.
▪ Julie’s an excellent typist -- her speed and accuracy leave the rest of us standing.
3. to reach a higher standard than someone or something else
▷ do better /ˌduː ˈbetəʳ/ [verb phrase]
▪ The British champion has completed the course in three minutes -- let’s see if his Canadian rival can do better.
do better than
▪ If you are saving 5 percent of your income each year, you’re doing better than most people.
▪ Harris argued that the economy is doing better than it was five years ago.
▷ outdo /aʊtˈduː/ [transitive verb]
to do better than someone you are competing with, especially because you want to prove that you are better :
▪ Kids always try to outdo each other in attracting the teacher’s attention.
▪ Western Europe and Japan managed to outdo their American competitors in some economic areas.
▷ outshine /aʊtˈʃaɪn/ [transitive verb] written
to be clearly more attractive, popular, or skilful than someone else :
▪ The young Japanese violinist outshone every other musician at the concert.
▪ Kelly was outstanding and outshone every other player on the field.
▷ outclass /aʊtˈklɑːsǁ-ˈklæs/ [transitive verb]
to perform with much greater skill or success than someone or something else :
▪ For the third time this season, Celtic outclassed their local rivals, Rangers, last night.
▪ There’s never been a jet engine to outclass the Rolls Royce Avon.
▷ outstrip /aʊtˈstrɪp/ [transitive verb]
to do very much better than someone or something else, especially when the person or thing you are competing with used to be of the same standard :
▪ The new magazine’s circulation of 210,000 outstrips that of all of its closest competitors.
▪ Girls are now outstripping boys in all school subjects.
▷ overtake /ˌəʊvəʳˈteɪk/ [transitive verb]
to develop or increase more quickly than someone or something else and become bigger, better, or more advanced than them :
▪ The Clippers played better in the second half but couldn’t overtake the Rockets and lost by eight points.
▪ Some are predicting that India could overtake China as the world’s most populous country before 2050.
4. better than before
▷ better /ˈbetəʳ/ [adjective]
▪ The following day, the weather was a little better.
better than
▪ People’s general health is a lot better these days than it used to be.
get better
▪ Your Spanish is definitely getting better.
far better/much better/a lot better
▪ Angie spent last week painting her bedroom -- it looks much better.
better [adverb]
▪ This country’s people are wealthier, healthier, and better educated than ever before.
▪ Relief agencies are hoping to cope better with the famine than they did in 1990.
▷ improved /ɪmˈpruːvd/ [adjective usually before noun]
better than before as a result of changes that have been made -- used especially when selling or advertising a product :
▪ Perhaps you’d like to have a look at our new improved model?
▪ Garrett believes the new system will allow him to lower prices and provide improved service to customers.
much/greatly/vastly improved
▪ This vastly improved information system means that doctors can see patients’ medical histories at the flick of a switch.
▷ be an improvement on /biː ən ɪmˈpruːvmənt ɒn/ [verb phrase]
to be better than something similar, such as a product or method, that existed before :
be an improvement on something
▪ The new heating system is certainly an improvement on the old one.
be a big improvement on something
▪ I wouldn’t say it was my favorite show, but it’s a big improvement on her last series.
▷ that’s more like it /ˌðæts mɔːʳ ˈlaɪk ɪt/ spoken
say this when something that is not happening or being done in the way that you want suddenly gets better :
▪ Faster, faster -- good, that’s more like it.
▪ What’s wrong with this TV set? It doesn’t seem to be working -- ah, that’s more like it.
5. to do something better than before
▷ do better /ˌduː ˈbetəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to reach a higher standard than you reached before :
▪ I was convinced that many of the students could have done better if they’d tried.
▪ Mark ran the distance in 30 minutes in the fall, but we’re hoping he’ll do better this season.
▷ improve on/upon /ɪmˈpruːv ɒn, əpɒn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to do something better than before or make it better than before, especially by working harder :
improve on/upon something
▪ I’m sure you could improve on your assignment if you spent a little more time on it.
▪ Hughes is anxious for the chance to improve upon last year’s 11th place finish.