get the better of
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Win an advantage over someone.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
The visitors also got the better of the try count, scoring five tries to Worthing's four in a fast - moving match.
After a moment, curiosity and hunger got the better of it, and it walked easily, almost indifferently, towards the dark corner where the fresh meat beckoned.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “get the better of” mean?
Win an advantage over someone.
Is “get the better of” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.