get the better of

idiom

Synonyms of get the better of next

: to defeat or trick (someone) by being clever

It would be hard to get the better of someone as experienced as she is.

—often used figuratively

She knew she shouldn't open the package, but her curiosity finally got the better of her and she opened it.

Examples of get the better of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

After the last game Cleveland lost this season, on Dec. 8 in Miami, a rival league executive noted to me that Jarrett Allen struggled with the physicality of the Heat’s bigs — a stigma that’s apparently going to hang around until Allen gets the better of someone in the playoffs. —

Joe Vardon, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025 Sydney Sweeney isn't letting body-shaming trolls get the better of her. —

Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 14 Dec. 2024 Julie Christie and Kate Winslet are wonderful as Gertrude and Ophelia, but his insistence on star casting finally gets the better of him. —

Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2024 After spending this time letting her anxiety get the better of her, Kaplan’s agent advised her to just look at each chapter as an article. —

Gregory James Wakeman, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for get the better of

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“Get the better of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/get%20the%20better%20of. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

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