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

While some people believe having this contingency is optional, financial planners know better. —Nia Bowers, Detroit Free Press, 28 Nov. 2024

Conservatives who should know better claim that the former is caused by easy federal financing of student loans. —John Tamny, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024

The memories are sweet, but Boone and Roberts know better than to mention them in conversation with each other. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024

VCs know better than anyone that a great captain alone doesn’t a successful startup make. —Alexander Puutio, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024