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

Caps fans know better than anyone that regular-season records don’t mean a thing in the playoffs. —Sean McIndoe, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025

The privileged former governor should know better than to say that educational choice has something for everyone. —Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2025

Only the Heat also know better, at a middling 12-11 at home this season, after going 22-19 at home last season. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2025

But anyone familiar with the peculiar lore of SNL would know better: This was Wiig’s fifth time hosting, and when someone hosts SNL five times, the opening monologue becomes absolutely unbearable. —Rebecca Jennings, Vox, 13 Feb. 2025

Rhymes for know better

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