as in more
to a greater or higher extent
he knows property law better than anyone else
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
2
as in advantage
the more favorable condition or position in a competition
she got the better of her opponents very early in the race
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to exceed
to be greater, better, or stronger than
this year's profits should better last year's by a wide margin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to improve
to make better
social workers and reformers trying to better the lives of inner-city residents
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in special
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of better
Adam Shaw, Fox News, 8 Feb. 2023
The White House, ahead of the speech, paired police reform with bringing down violence, suggesting that giving police better training tools could lead to less crime nationwide.
—Zeke Miller and, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Feb. 2023
Sammy Rothstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2023
Last year, the office held listening sessions in Grove Hall, Roxbury, Mattapan, and Jamaica Plain to better understand the needs of women and gender-expansive individuals.
—Tiana Woodard, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Feb. 2023
Simon Spichak, Health, 1 Mar. 2025
The hook is still in play, and a lot of betters seem to be biting on it.
—Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 5 Dec. 2024
Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2025
But right now, my generation is two teams fighting against each other and not coming together to better our country.
—Eli Thompson, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for better
Adverb
On Tuesday Biden touted increases in Border Patrol staffing and also increased fentanyl seizures at the border, which officials have said shows that apprehension is getting better.
—Adam Shaw, Fox News, 8 Feb. 2023
The White House, ahead of the speech, paired police reform with bringing down violence, suggesting that giving police better training tools could lead to less crime nationwide.
—Zeke Miller and, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Feb. 2023
Noun
In related news, Emma Foehringer Merchant wrote a fascinating story for Undark about researchers creating a repository of birds and bats killed at solar and wind farms, to better understand why they’re getting killed and how to prevent it.
—Sammy Rothstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2023
Last year, the office held listening sessions in Grove Hall, Roxbury, Mattapan, and Jamaica Plain to better understand the needs of women and gender-expansive individuals.
—Tiana Woodard, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Feb. 2023
Verb
According to Ayers, the following five public health measures could help curb addiction among sports betters:
Use more of the taxes imposed on sports betting to pay for addiction services.
—Simon Spichak, Health, 1 Mar. 2025
The hook is still in play, and a lot of betters seem to be biting on it.
—Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
Relay success boosted Team USA’s total gold medal haul to 16, bettering the record of 14 the team set at the 2005, 2007 and 2019 championships, with five silver and bronzes apiece taking the total medal count to 26.
—Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2025
But right now, my generation is two teams fighting against each other and not coming together to better our country.
—Eli Thompson, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for better
Recent Examples of Synonyms for better
Adverb
-
By removing the fragile transfer stage, the method improves yield and enables more ambitious designs in soft robotics.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Also, there is no Santa, but Alexia’s gay Jonny is there to trash-talk Todd once more before flying home to Spain.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Her superiors saw her as a natural choice because of her constructive relationship with Bukele during her term as ambassador.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
-
His Army superiors offered to reassign Shane or put him on reserve duty.—
John J. Lennon,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Keller took advantage and scored after two of the gaffes and the third killed a drive in the end zone.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Sep. 2025
-
The veteran right-hander — who grew up in Anaheim — had sharp command of his pitches and used it to his advantage throughout the night.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
If qualified patients opt to pay in monthly installments, those payments shouldn’t exceed 6% of their household income — and the remaining debt gets wiped after about three years of paying.—
Rae Ellen Bichell,
Fortune,
29 Sep. 2025
-
The nonprofit set up a series of decibel readers throughout downtown to count how many times the sound level exceeded the thresholds covered by the city’s noise ordinance.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Bhattacharya noted that the United States’ investment in research has vastly improved outcomes for children with cancer.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
1 Oct. 2025
-
However, the group also says that early detection can significantly improve treatment outcomes.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The New York Knicks have a golden opportunity to do something special this season.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The pair both marked the milestone by sharing professional couple photos on Instagram, along with special tributes to each other.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The fear of a man with a single foot over a cliff edge.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The Lexington community, still reeling from a 5-year-old’s death in a home explosion five months ago, is on edge after gas lines continue to get hit by companies installing fiber optic cables.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The circle this year celebrated surpassing the $2 million mark in support of 171 initiatives and projects since its founding 23 years ago.—
Carin Schoppmeyer,
Arkansas Online,
28 Sep. 2025
-
There are a total of 28 points available over the three-day tournament, and the first national team to surpass 14 points wins.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Better.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/better. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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