Showing results for had better. Search instead for had-better-do.

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.

See Examples For:

had better

“I just felt like I had better luck at the roulette table with prediction markets versus crypto,” said Cathy Mallebranche, a 36-year-old trader and fashion stylist in New York.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

“We wish we had better news to share.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

Over 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 15 years, the S&P 400 had better average returns than the large-cap S&P 500.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 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