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.
I know this sounds counterintuitive, but based on my experience, an EV with a home charger and a backup generator is better than a gasoline car for storm resistance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
More recently, he’s argued that you can do better than 4% by diversifying into other classes.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
But while both of these things are better than the alternative for any party leader, they are not the same as being popular.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
The T cells engineered directly inside the body appeared to perform better than comparable cells produced in the laboratory.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
“The dress is a nice touch, don’t you think? Much better than those stiff uniforms.”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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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.