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Better   /bˈɛtər/   Listen
adjective
Better  adj.  (compar. of Good)
1.
Having good qualities in a greater degree than another; as, a better man; a better physician; a better house; a better air. "Could make the worse appear The better reason."
2.
Preferable in regard to rank, value, use, fitness, acceptableness, safety, or in any other respect. "To obey is better than sacrifice." "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes."
3.
Greater in amount; larger; more.
4.
Improved in health; less affected with disease; as, the patient is better.
5.
More advanced; more perfect; as, upon better acquaintance; a better knowledge of the subject.
All the better. See under All, adv.
Better half, an expression used to designate one's wife. "My dear, my better half (said he), I find I must now leave thee."
To be better off, to be in a better condition.
Had better. (See under Had). Note: The phrase had better, followed by an infinitive without to, is idiomatic. The earliest form of construction was "were better" with a dative; as, "Him were better go beside." () i. e., It would be better for him, etc. At length the nominative (I, he, they, etc.) supplanted the dative and had took the place of were. Thus we have the construction now used. "By all that's holy, he had better starve Than but once think this place becomes thee not."


adverb
Better  adv., adj. compar.  (compar. of Well)
1.
In a superior or more excellent manner; with more skill and wisdom, courage, virtue, advantage, or success; as, Henry writes better than John; veterans fight better than recruits. "I could have better spared a better man."
2.
More correctly or thoroughly. "The better to understand the extent of our knowledge."
3.
In a higher or greater degree; more; as, to love one better than another. "Never was monarch better feared, and loved."
4.
More, in reference to value, distance, time, etc.; as, ten miles and better. (Colloq.)
To think better of (any one), to have a more favorable opinion of any one.
To think better of (an opinion, resolution, etc.), to reconsider and alter one's decision.


verb
Better  v. t.  (past & past part. bettered; pres. part. bettering)  
1.
To improve or ameliorate; to increase the good qualities of. "Love betters what is best." "He thought to better his circumstances."
2.
To improve the condition of, morally, physically, financially, socially, or otherwise. "The constant effort of every man to better himself."
3.
To surpass in excellence; to exceed; to excel. "The works of nature do always aim at that which can not be bettered."
4.
To give advantage to; to support; to advance the interest of. (Obs.) "Weapons more violent, when next we meet, May serve to better us and worse our foes."
Synonyms: To improve; meliorate; ameliorate; mend; amend; correct; emend; reform; advance; promote.


Better  v. i.  To become better; to improve.


noun
Better  n.  
1.
Advantage, superiority, or victory; usually with of; as, to get the better of an enemy.
2.
One who has a claim to precedence; a superior, as in merit, social standing, etc.; usually in the plural. "Their betters would hardly be found."
For the better, in the way of improvement; so as to produce improvement. "If I have altered him anywhere for the better."


Better  n.  One who bets or lays a wager.





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


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"Better" Quotes from Famous Books



... it does in Washington, are not frequent, and less happy or prosperous when effected; every body, inclined to become acquainted, or form matrimonial connections, are ever on the alert for something or somebody better than themselves; and under such circumstances, naturally enough, Miss Alice Somebody—though a pretty girl—talented, as the world goes, highly educated, too, as many hundreds beside her, was still a spinster at twenty-three. The fact was, Mrs. Somebody was ...
— The Humors of Falconbridge - A Collection of Humorous and Every Day Scenes • Jonathan F. Kelley
... of pure cultures is still quite new, particularly in this country. In the European butter-making countries they have been used for a longer period and have become very much better known. What the future may develop along this line it is difficult to say; but it seems at least probable that as the difficulties in the details are mastered the time will come when starters will be used by our butter makers for their cream ripening, just as yeast is used by housewives for raising ...
— The Story Of Germ Life • H. W. Conn
... adjustment of internal relations to external relations,' says the Apostle of the Misunderstanding. 'Adjustment' is good, for it means nothing. It would have shown better taste, however, to substitute for it a beautiful term of some sort, with a Greek root, a Latin suffix and an English termination, because in that case a large majority of people would never have found out that the whole phrase was blatant nonsense. ...
— Greifenstein • F. Marion Crawford
... Denham, that limping old bard, Whose fame on the Sophy and Cooper's-hill stands, And brought many stationers, who swore very hard That nothing sold better except 'twere his lands. But Apollo advised him to write something more, To clear a suspicion which possessed the Court, That Cooper's-hill, so much bragg'd on before, Was writ by a vicar, who had ...
— Calamities and Quarrels of Authors • Isaac D'Israeli
... what shall we do—make the inquiry private? No, not that; it would spoil the romance. The public method is better. Think what a noise it will make! And it will make all the other towns jealous; for no stranger would trust such a thing to any town but Hadleyburg, and they know it. It's a great card for us. I must get to the printing-office now, or I ...
— Innocents abroad • Mark Twain


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