better than
Idioms-
Superior to, as in He's no better than Tom at writing a memo . [9th century]
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More than, larger in amount or greater in rate, as in My new car can do better than 100 miles an hour , or The new plan will cut better than 15 percent of costs . Some authorities consider this usage colloquial and advise that it be avoided in formal writing. [Late 1500s] Also see better half , def. 1.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Christine Lagarde, the central bank’s president, reiterated that it is in a “good place,” with growth in the bloc holding up better than expected to higher U.S. tariffs and inflation falling toward the ECB’s 2% target.
The average person you meet on the street, the odds of them being a Jew hater are not better than them liking Jews.
From Slate
Despite a general inconsistency across the league this season, few expect United to do better than scrape into a Champions League spot, which would be a year ahead of schedule.
From BBC
That’s marginally better than September, when its forecast was for 2026 sales growth of 4% to 6% and adjusted earnings of $17.20 to $19 a share.
From Barron's
“The AI now can code better than the average junior developer that comes out of the best schools out there.”
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.