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

Forecasters predict fall weather to hit the United States over Labor Day weekend, but Arizonans know better than to get their hopes up. —Olivia Rose, AZCentral.com, 9 July 2025

The president of the United States should know better. —Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 July 2025

These aren’t innocent mistakes — people know better and do it anyway. —U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 June 2025

The cleaning aisles are full of what companies consider the latest and greatest, but professional cleaners know better than anyone what products get the job done. —Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 30 June 2025

Rhymes for know better

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