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

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

Martin Luther King, Senator J. William Fulbright, and California Gov. Pat Brown all said so and who would know better than these worthies? —Walter E Block, Orange County Register, 13 Feb. 2025

However, the Dodgers know better than any team how important depth is, especially on the pitching side. —Justin Gest, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025

Lonzo has been through enough over the past three seasons to know better than to take his opportunities for granted. —Darnell Mayberry, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025

Rhymes for know better

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