had better

phrase

variants or had best

: would be wise to

had better go to bed

Examples of had better in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In one study involving teens with obesity, for instance, O’Sullivan and his colleagues found that participants who ingested fecal transplant capsules loaded with healthy gut bacteria had better metabolic health years later than those who didn’t. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 5 Oct. 2026

In short, the Chargers had better learn to navigate that dance floor. — Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

In one study, researchers found that patients taking sleep aids containing magnesium and tryptophan had better sleep quality. — Emmanuella Ogbonna, HEALTH, 2 Oct. 2026

On the other side, Spring said the overhauled Macy’s stores have had better assortments, more customer assistance and stronger displays of merchandise to help improve the experience. — Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for had better

• abettor
• newsletter
• typesetter
• bettor
• debtor
• fetter
• getter
• letter
• netter
• petter
• rhetor
• setter