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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

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

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

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

And, as CEO, I’ve never had better tools to measure exactly how the business is performing, including identifying our rising stars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026

“I had better not pass my word: I might be obliged to break it.”

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

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