something that is the more excellent, useful, etc, of two such things
See full dictionary entry for better
Examples of 'the better' in a sentence
the better
The more her resemblance to Katerina was hammered home, the better for her chances of success.
Val McDermid THE LAST TEMPTATION (2002)
You can't let fear get the better of you, or a woman wouldn't even dare go out of the house alone.
Peter Robinson AFTERMATH (2002)
All related terms of 'the better'
for the better
by way of improvement
the better of
having recovered from
the better off
those with more money
the sooner the better
You say the sooner the better when you think something should be done as soon as possible.
all the better for
improved as a result of
all the better to
more suitable to
get the better of
to defeat, outwit , or surpass
the better part of
a large part of
the better to do sth
If you do something the better to do something else, you do the first thing in order to be able to do the second thing more effectively.
the best part the better part
If you say that something happened for the best part or the better part of a period of time, you mean that it happened for most of that time.
all the better (or worse)
so much the better (or worse )
better the devil you know
If you say better the devil you know or better the devil you know than the devil you don't know , you mean that you would prefer to have contact with or do business with a person you already know, even though you don't like them, than with a person you don't know.
to change for the better
If something changes for the better , it improves .
to get the better of sb
If a feeling such as jealousy , curiosity , or anger gets the better of you, it becomes too strong for you to hide or control .
all the better so much the better
You can say ' so much the better ' or ' all the better ' to indicate that it is desirable that a particular thing is used, done, or available .
so much the better all much the better
You can say ' so much the better ' or ' all the better ' to indicate that it is desirable that a particular thing is used, done, or available .
discretion is the better part of valour
If you say discretion is the better part of valour , you mean that avoiding a dangerous or unpleasant situation is sometimes the most sensible thing to do.
the bigger/sooner/smaller etc the better
You can use expressions like ' The bigger the better ' or ' The sooner the better ' to say that you would prefer it if something is big or happens soon.
take a turn for the worse/take a turn for the better
If a situation takes a turn for the worse , it suddenly becomes worse. If a situation takes a turn for the better , it suddenly becomes better.