know better

idiom

1

: to be smart or sensible enough not to do something

You walked home alone? Don't you know better (than that)?

She'll know better than to trust them again.

There's no excuse for his behavior. He's old enough to know better.

Don't blame him. He's just a child and he doesn't know (any) better.

2

: to know or understand the truth about something

She tried to tell me that it wasn't her fault, but I know better.

3

: to know or understand more than other people

You can't tell him what to do. He always thinks that he knows better.

Examples of know better in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lonzo has been through enough over the past three seasons to know better than to take his opportunities for granted. —Darnell Mayberry, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025

Even those of us who should know better can lose track of cloud spend. —Jyoti Bansal, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025

Two comedians surely know better than most people that humor is a way of broaching tough subjects. —Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2024

Our fanbase know better than those behind the scenes. —Simon Johnson, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024