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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."


Good  adj.  (compar. better; superl. best)  
1.
Possessing desirable qualities; adapted to answer the end designed; promoting success, welfare, or happiness; serviceable; useful; fit; excellent; admirable; commendable; not bad, corrupt, evil, noxious, offensive, or troublesome, etc. "And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good." "Good company, good wine, good welcome."
2.
Possessing moral excellence or virtue; virtuous; pious; religious; said of persons or actions. "In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works."
3.
Kind; benevolent; humane; merciful; gracious; polite; propitious; friendly; well-disposed; often followed by to or toward, also formerly by unto. "The men were very good unto us."
4.
Serviceable; suited; adapted; suitable; of use; to be relied upon; followed especially by for. "All quality that is good for anything is founded originally in merit."
5.
Clever; skillful; dexterous; ready; handy; followed especially by at. "He... is a good workman; a very good tailor." "Those are generally good at flattering who are good for nothing else."
6.
Adequate; sufficient; competent; sound; not fallacious; valid; in a commercial sense, to be depended on for the discharge of obligations incurred; having pecuniary ability; of unimpaired credit. "My reasons are both good and weighty." "My meaning in saying he is a good man is... that he is sufficient... I think I may take his bond."
7.
Real; actual; serious; as in the phrases in good earnest; in good sooth. "Love no man in good earnest."
8.
Not small, insignificant, or of no account; considerable; esp., in the phrases a good deal, a good way, a good degree, a good share or part, etc.
9.
Not lacking or deficient; full; complete. "Good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over."
10.
Not blemished or impeached; fair; honorable; unsullied; as in the phrases a good name, a good report, good repute, etc. "A good name is better than precious ointment".
As good as. See under As.
For good, or For good and all, completely and finally; fully; truly. "The good woman never died after this, till she came to die for good and all."
Good breeding, polite or polished manners, formed by education; a polite education. "Distinguished by good humor and good breeding."
Good cheap, literally, good bargain; reasonably cheap.
Good consideration (Law).
(a)
A consideration of blood or of natural love and affection.
(b)
A valuable consideration, or one which will sustain a contract.
Good fellow, a person of companionable qualities. (Familiar)
Good folk or Good people, fairies; brownies; pixies, etc. (Colloq. Eng. & Scot.)
Good for nothing.
(a)
Of no value; useless; worthless.
(b)
Used substantively, an idle, worthless person. "My father always said I was born to be a good for nothing."
Good Friday, the Friday of Holy Week, kept in some churches as a fast, in memoory of our Savior's passion or suffering; the anniversary of the crucifixion.
Good humor, or Good-humor, a cheerful or pleasant temper or state of mind.
Good humor man, a travelling vendor who sells Good Humor ice-cream (or some similar ice-cream) from a small refrigerated truck; he usually drives slowly through residential neighborhoods in summertime, loudly playing some distinctive recorded music to announce his presence. (U. S.)
Good nature, or Good-nature, habitual kindness or mildness of temper or disposition; amiability; state of being in good humor. "The good nature and generosity which belonged to his character." "The young count's good nature and easy persuadability were among his best characteristics."
Good people. See Good folk (above).
Good speed, good luck; good success; godspeed; an old form of wishing success. See Speed.
Good turn, an act of kidness; a favor.
Good will.
(a)
Benevolence; well wishing; kindly feeling.
(b)
(Law) The custom of any trade or business; the tendency or inclination of persons, old customers and others, to resort to an established place of business; the advantage accruing from tendency or inclination. "The good will of a trade is nothing more than the probability that the old customers will resort to the old place."
In good time.
(a)
Promptly; punctually; opportunely; not too soon nor too late.
(b)
(Mus.) Correctly; in proper time.
To hold good, to remain true or valid; to be operative; to remain in force or effect; as, his promise holds good; the condition still holds good.
To make good, to fulfill; to establish; to maintain; to supply (a defect or deficiency); to indemmify; to prove or verify (an accusation); to prove to be blameless; to clear; to vindicate. "Each word made good and true." "Of no power to make his wishes good." "I... would by combat make her good." "Convenient numbers to make good the city."
To think good, to approve; to be pleased or satisfied with; to consider expedient or proper. "If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear." Note: Good, in the sense of wishing well, is much used in greeting and leave-taking; as, good day, good night, good evening, good morning, etc.


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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