had better

Idioms  

1. Also, had best. Ought to, should. For example, You had better finish this one before starting another, or We had best be going. [Mid-1400s] Also see you'd better believe it.

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Example Sentences

You had better have good estimates for how much these items will cost after you buy the home.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026

Staff suggested women could have had better birth experiences "if appropriate care had been provided without delay".

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

Eisenhower said, ‘We had better meteorologists than the Germans.’

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

And Wall Street had better not get me started on “exponential”—my TI trigger finger is itchy.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

“She will come back,” he thought, “as she has done before, and she had better bring something I like if she wants me to eat it.”

From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli