Meaning

5 senses
  1. (auxiliary, colloquial, modal)Had better.

    It's getting late. You better get on home.

    Nobody better hurt any of my kids.

    get better

  2. (transitive)To improve.

    attempts to better the lot of the refugees

    This government will better our society.

    verbessern

    улучша́тьulučšátʹ, улу́чшитьulúčšitʹ

  3. (intransitive)To become better; to improve.

    улучша́тьсяulučšátʹsja, улу́чшитьсяulúčšitʹsja

    to make better

  4. (transitive)To surpass in excellence; to exceed; to excel; to improve on.

    He summed the whole thing up in a way that I couldn't possibly better.

    превосходи́тьprevosxodítʹ, превзойти́prevzojtí

    surpass in excellence

  5. (transitive)To give advantage to; to support; to advance the interest of.

Examples

12252 sentences
  1. Your bike is better than mine.

    Твій велосипед кращий за мій. — deniko

    ruТвой велик лучше моего. — Mukaltin

    deDein Fahrrad ist besser als meins. — MUIRIEL

  2. Your plan seems better than mine.

    Твій план здається кращим за мій. — deniko

    ruТвой план выглядит лучше моего. — vilnat

    deIhr Plan scheint besser als meiner zu sein. — MUIRIEL

  3. Your pen is better than mine.

    Твоя ручка краща, ніж моя. — deniko

    ruТвоя ручка лучше моей. — afyodor

    deDein Stift ist besser als meiner. — Fingerhut

  4. Can you think of something better?

    Ти можеш придумати щось краще? — deniko

    ruУ тебя есть идея получше? — marafon

    deFällt dir etwas Besseres ein? — samueldora

  5. You look better in this dress.

    Ти виглядаєш краще в цьому вбранні. — lingvokrolik

    ruТы выглядишь лучше в этом платье. — fjay69

    deIn diesem Kleid siehst du besser aus. — Pfirsichbaeumchen

Translations

7 languages
Русский
By meaning 3
to improve:
to become better:
to surpass in excellence:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
to improve:

Origin

Shortening of had better ('d better). From Middle English beteren, from Old English beter

Shortening of had better ('d better).

From Middle English beteren, from Old English beterian, betrian, from Proto-Germanic *batizōną. Cognate with West Frisian betterje (“to better”), Dutch beteren (“to better”), German bessern (“to better”), Danish bedre (“to better”), Swedish bättra (“to better”).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

betters, bettering, bettered, bettered
Base formbetter · to better
3rd person singularbetters
Present participlebettering
Past simplebettered
Past participlebettered

irregular

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theybetter
he, she, itbetters

Past simpleLesson

all personsbettered

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave bettered
he, she, ithas bettered

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill better

Synonyms

6 synonyms
Close in meaning

Antonyms

1 antonyms

Word family

6 related words

Collocations

12 patterns
  • better better
  • better better than
  • be better better
  • a better better
  • much better better
  • better better at
  • get better better
  • lot better better
  • better better not
  • better better if
  • feel better better
  • any better better

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
better — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto