know better

idiom

: 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.

: to know or understand the truth about something

She tried to tell me that it wasn't her fault, but I know better.

: 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

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

The memories are sweet, but Boone and Roberts know better than to mention them in conversation with each other. —

Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024 VCs know better than anyone that a great captain alone doesn’t a successful startup make. —

Alexander Puutio, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024 Ryan Vivian San Jose Patriotic Republicans should vote Democrat This letter is for the Republicans who know better and still support Donald Trump. —

Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 1 Oct. 2024 Viewers who immediately know better than to believe anything Oz says may grow wearier, faster than those who go in looking for DC Comics easter eggs and Batman universe-building. —

Ben Travers, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for know better