had better

Idioms

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.

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.

had better

Only two people had better than average hearing at certain low frequencies.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

Mainstream party activists had better wake up soon to the threat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

Chip stocks suffered a wobble, and investors had better hope that’s all it is.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

“Then we had better get started,” said Roz.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023