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

While mass luxury may pass off plastic handbags or interior car seats as leather, such compromises cheapen the value perception in the eyes of those who know better. —Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025

Environmental impact The same concept – that urban policymakers know better than rural Americans – is manifest in the modern environmental movement. —Kayla Gabehart, The Conversation, 14 Aug. 2025

Anybody who has hunted elk 23 years ought to know better. —Fred C. Mercer, Outdoor Life, 14 Aug. 2025

After all, these devoted attendees know better than anyone that the singer-songwriter has trekked through New York clubs for the past four years, growing her audience with each performance. —Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 29 July 2025

Rhymes for know better

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