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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
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
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
Instead, Netflix’s latest gazes across deeper ideological divides: freedom versus security, the people versus their bureaucratic betters.
—Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
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
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
-
Advertisement The rise in flu cases around the continent, as well as outbreaks in Europe earlier this year, have led some medical experts to warn that influenza may be evolving to spread more quickly or earlier than typical in some regions.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The method filters and reshapes the beam into a cleaner and more stable output, a property known as high coherence.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Maigret’s unconventional methods and unique sense of justice put him at odds with his superiors and the judicial system he is supposed to represent.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Oct. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
One major advantage of developing artificial intelligence in China lies in the availability of large, high-quality datasets, particularly coming from hospitals that are often willing to share medical information for research purposes.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Who is looking strongest for these next three races/who has the advantage beyond just points standings?—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Nylander needs to replicate and probably exceed last season’s 45-goal campaign.—
Jonas Siegel,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Collier said costs can easily exceed that in the most severe flood situations.—
Tamia Fowlkes,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As Gabriel improves and the rapport builds, Bond could turn into a fantasy WR4 given his ability.—
Jake Ciely,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Now is the time to improve your home’s ability to withstand hurricanes.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Make no mistake, though, this footballing mecca, where the turnstiles closed for the final time 25 years ago this week, was a truly special place.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Receiving that nomination, specifically for that album, was just so special.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Rainwater tends to accumulate at the road edges.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Audi — never one to truly push hard into the proper luxury coupe market, but always working around its edges — has bowed out of the two-door market entirely.—
Will Sabel Courtney,
Robb Report,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Jaguars haven’t allowed a runner to surpass 60 yards this season.—
Ted Nguyen,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Admissions have not only bounced back but surpassed pre-pandemic levels, despite a dramatic decrease in live-action box office.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Better.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/better. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share