know better

verb
UK: /nəʊ ˈbetər/
US: /noʊ ˈbetər/

  1. To be wise or moral enough not to do something.

    1. I know better than to argue with my boss about a raise. [ ] [ ]
    2. She should know better than to trust him with her personal information after what happened. [ ] [ ]

  2. To be aware of the negative consequences of a particular action and therefore avoid it.

    1. Kids should know better than to run into the street without looking. [ ] [ ]
    2. I thought you would know better than to leave the door unlocked when you left the house. [ ] [ ]
know better idiom

  1. Used to express disapproval that someone has done something silly or wrong.

    1. You know better, don't lie to your parents when they ask questions. [ ] [ ]
    2. She knows better, she should be aware that skipping classes may affect her grades later. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "know better" in English means: To be wise or moral enough not to do something., To be aware of the negative consequences of a particular action and therefore avoid it..

The phonetic transcription of "know better" is /nəʊ ˈbetər/ in British English and /noʊ ˈbetər/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Example usage of "know better": "I know better than to argue with my boss about a raise.". More examples on the page.