know better
idiom
1
: to be smart or sensible enough not to do something
You walked home alone? Don't you know better (than that)?
She'll know better than to trust them again.
There's no excuse for his behavior. He's old enough to know better.
Don't blame him. He's just a child and he doesn't know (any) better.
2
: to know or understand the truth about something
She tried to tell me that it wasn't her fault, but I know better.
3
: to know or understand more than other people
You can't tell him what to do. He always thinks that he knows better.
Examples of know better in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Writers who contemplate going onstage tend to fall into two camps: those who know better and those who should but don’t.
—
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 14 May 2025
But businesses, and Beijing, know better than to assume the storm has passed.
—Shannon Carroll, Quartz, 12 May 2025
Consumers know better than the government what vehicles work for them, their families and their incomes.
—Albert R. Wynn, Baltimore Sun, 28 Apr. 2025
But anyone who didn’t know better could easily have mistaken the 13-year WNBA veteran for another assistant coach on the floor, constantly offering feedback and encouragement from the sideline.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for know better
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Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 14 May 2025
But businesses, and Beijing, know better than to assume the storm has passed.
—Shannon Carroll, Quartz, 12 May 2025
Consumers know better than the government what vehicles work for them, their families and their incomes.
—Albert R. Wynn, Baltimore Sun, 28 Apr. 2025
But anyone who didn’t know better could easily have mistaken the 13-year WNBA veteran for another assistant coach on the floor, constantly offering feedback and encouragement from the sideline.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for know better
Cite this Entry
“Know better.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/know%20better. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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