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
Trump is beyond shame, but this corrupt debasement of the Oval Office is accepted by so many who should know better, including his fellow Republicans.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 May 2025
Playoff Nembhard is a provable phenomenon, as the Knicks know better than anyone else.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Writers who contemplate going onstage tend to fall into two camps: those who know better and those who should but don’t.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 14 May 2025
But businesses, and Beijing, know better than to assume the storm has passed.
—Shannon Carroll, Quartz, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for know better
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New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 May 2025
Playoff Nembhard is a provable phenomenon, as the Knicks know better than anyone else.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Writers who contemplate going onstage tend to fall into two camps: those who know better and those who should but don’t.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 14 May 2025
But businesses, and Beijing, know better than to assume the storm has passed.
—Shannon Carroll, Quartz, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for know better
Cite this Entry
“Know better.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/know%20better. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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