Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

better

 - definition
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing.These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are morefrequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
adjective British English pronunciation: better /ˈbetə(r)/
  1. 1
    more satisfactory, suitable, pleasant, effective, or of higher quality etc

    She’s trying to find a better job.

    better than:

    The results were better than we had expected.

    get better (=improve):

    The situation is unlikely to get better in the foreseeable future.

    much/far/a lot better:

    I can think of far better ways of spending a million pounds.

    little/no better:

    There was a growing economic crisis in Asia, and things were no better in Europe.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  betterThesaurus entry for this meaning of better
    1. a.
      more skilful

      Maggie’s a better cook than I’ll ever be.

      better at:

      Alec is a lot better at sport than I am.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  betterThesaurus entry for this meaning of better
  2. 2
    used for saying that someone has become completely healthy again after an illness

    You shouldn’t go back to school until you’re completely better.

    I had a dreadful cold, but I’m better now.

    get better (=become healthy again):

    If you want to get better, you must take your medicine.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  betterThesaurus entry for this meaning of better
    1. a.
      used for saying that someone is not as ill as they were before, or that something is not as painful as it was before

      She’s a little better today, but I think she should stay in bed.

      You’ll feel better when you’ve had something to eat.

      Is your headache any better?

      better for something (=healthier as a result of something):

      I had a good rest, and I’m feeling a lot better for it.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  betterThesaurus entry for this meaning of better

phrases

This is the British English definition of better. View American English definition of better.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

showmance

a romantic relationship between two members of the cast of a play, film or television series

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

slime

a thick, wet, unpleasant substance that covers something

Open Dictionary

human-readable

able to be read and understood by people

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog