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Glite Dictionary
had better

had better

2.0
To tell someone they should do something because not doing it may cause trouble
  • phrasal verb
  • /hæd ˈbɛtər/
translation icon : más vale que
  • With the weather turning bad, you had better bring an umbrella.

Examples

  • You had better leave now!

  • You had better call your parents to let them know you arrived safely.

  • Students had better finish their assignments before the deadline.

  • They had better finish the project soon.

  • Students had better finish their assignments before the deadline to avoid a penalty.

  • With the weather turning bad, you had better bring an umbrella if you plan to go out.

  • You had better call your parents to let them know you arrived safely, or they will worry.

Synonyms

to had best
vshad better
  • Archaic
86 6.0

Should do something because it is a good idea

has identical meaning but is the more common modern form
ought
vshad better
3.4

To be expected or right to do something and likely to happen

advises while also implying a warning about bad results

How Advisable

to must
1.0
had better
2.0
ought
3.4
should
1.0

Surface Forms

had better infinitive
had best infinitive

Morphology

had + best

Although 'better' clearly signals a comparative/advisory meaning that a B1 learner might recognize, the construction 'had better' is a grammaticalized semi-modal whose meaning and syntactic behaviour are not fully derivable from the literal senses of 'had' + 'better'. Learners who know the words may guess it gives advice, but they are unlikely to predict the fixed form, the warning/strong recommendation nuance, or its syntactic restrictions without prior exposure.

Etymology

Had better may come from the old short phrase had best, which meant 'it would be best'. So imagine had and better together as a promise that doing something will put you in a better situation, and that's why today had better gives strong 'advice' or a 'warning'.