different between better vs advance

English

Pronunciation

• (non-rhotic accents) IPA^(key): /?b?t?/
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): [?b?t??]
  • (General Australian, General New Zealand) IPA^(key): [?be??]
  • (UK dialects) IPA^(key): [?be??]
• (rhotic accents) IPA^(key): /?b?t??/
  • (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): [?b???]
  • (Ireland) IPA^(key): [?b?t??~?b????~?b?t??]
  • (Scotland) IPA^(key): [?b???~?b????]
• (US)
• Rhymes: -?t?(?)
• Hyphenation: bet?ter

Etymology 1

From Middle English better, bettre, betre, from Old English betera (“better”), from Proto-Germanic *batizô (“better”), from Proto-Indo-European *b?ed-rós, from *b?ed- (“good”). Cognate with Sanskrit ???? (bhadrá, “blessed, fortunate, happy, good”). For Germanic cognates: see Proto-Germanic *batizô. Related to best and battle (“getting better, improving, fruitful, fertile”). Compare also Icelandic batna (“to improve”), bót (“improvement”), German besser. More at batten, boot.

Adjective

better (positive good, adverb well, comparative (humorous) betterer, superlative (humorous) betterest, or (standard) best)

1. comparative form of good: more good
2. comparative form of well: more well
3. Greater in amount or quantity
   • 1972, Harvey Andrews, Hey Sandy

     “The air was still with the lonely thrill of 'now the hour is near'
     And the smell of sweat was better yet than the awful stench of fear.”

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

better

1. comparative form of well: more well

   The engine runs better now that I've given it some oil.

   • c. 1603, William Shakespeare, Othello, Act I scene iii^[1]:

     I could never better stead thee than now. […]

   • 1901, Louis Couperus, Alexander Teixeira de Mattos (translator), Small Souls,

     “I’ve had enough of cycling with you chaps. I can spend my Sundays better than in tormenting cats and quarrelling and fighting.”

2. Greater or lesser (whichever is seen as more advantageous), in reference to value, distance, time, etc.

   The top electric vehicles have a range of 300 kilometres or better. (better = greater)

   Only one swimmer finished the race with a time better than two minutes. (better = lesser)

3. (Can we clean up⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) (colloquial shortening) Had better.

   You better do that if you know what's good for you.

Derived terms

• better the devil you know
• had better
• 'd better

Translations

Noun

better (plural betters)

1. An entity, usually animate, deemed superior to another; one who has a claim to precedence; a superior.

   He quickly found Ali his better in the ring.

   • 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie

     Their betters would hardly be found.

Derived terms

• get the better of

Etymology 2

Shortening of had better ('d better)

Verb

better

1. (modal, auxiliary verb, colloquial) Had better.

   It's getting late. You better get on home.

Usage notes

• Better in this sense has often been considered an adverb. But it is virtually synonymous with should in We better be going. and with ought to in We better go. Should and ought are auxiliary verbs.

See also

• best

Etymology 3

From Middle English beteren, from Old English beterian, betrian, from Proto-Germanic *batiz?n?. Cognate with West Frisian betterje (“to better”), Dutch beteren (“to better”), German bessern (“to better”), Danish bedre (“to better”), Swedish bättra (“to better”).

Verb

better (third-person singular simple present betters, present participle bettering, simple past and past participle bettered)

1. (transitive) To improve.
   • 1815, William Wordsworth, From the same (To the Supreme Being)

     Love betters what is best.

   • He thought to better his circumstances.
2. (intransitive) To become better; to improve.

   This government will better this society

3. (transitive) To surpass in excellence; to exceed; to excel.
   • 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie

     The works of nature do always aim at that which can not be bettered.

4. (transitive) To give advantage to; to support; to advance the interest of.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:improve

Derived terms

• betterer
• betterment

Translations

Etymology 4

Alternate pronunciation of bettor or modern formation from the verb to bet.

Noun

better (plural betters)

1. Alternative spelling of bettor

References

• better at OneLook Dictionary Search
• better in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Central Franconian

Alternative forms

• botter, bötter (Eifel)

Etymology

From Old High German bittar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?bet?/

Adjective

better (masculine bettere, feminine better, comparative betterer, superlative et betterste)

1. (most dialects) bitter

   Proverb:

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English betere.

Adjective

better

1. Alternative form of bettre

Adverb

better

1. Alternative form of bettre

Noun

better

1. Alternative form of bettre

Etymology 2

From Old English beterian.

Verb

better

1. Alternative form of beteren

Scots

Etymology

From Middle English bettre, from Old English betera, from Proto-Germanic *batizô.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?b?t?r]

Adjective

better

1. comparative degree of guid

Derived terms

Adverb

better (comparative mair better, superlative maist better)

1. better
2. quite recovered from illness
3. more than

Noun

better (uncountable)

1. that which is better, something better or superior

Verb

better (third-person singular present betters, present participle betterin, past bettert, past participle bettert)

1. to better, improve

West Frisian

Adjective

better

1. inflection of goed:
   1. predicative comparative degree
   2. indefinite neuter singular comparative degree

English

Alternative forms

• advaunce (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English avauncen, avancen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman avauncer, avancer, avancier (French avancer), from Vulgar Latin *abanti?re, from Late Latin abante, from Latin ab + ante (“before”). ?d? added in analogy to Latin ad- (cf. Middle French advancer). Compare avaunt.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, Southern England) IPA^(key): /?d?v??ns/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?d?væns/
• (General Australian, General New Zealand) IPA^(key): /?d?va?ns/
• Rhymes: -??ns, -æns

Verb

advance (third-person singular simple present advances, present participle advancing, simple past and past participle advanced)

1. To promote or advantage.
   1. To help the progress of (something); to further. [from 12th c.]
      • 2018, Kareem Shaheen, The Guardian, 26 January:

        Some see it as in effect the end of the Syrian uprising that began with peaceful protests against Assad’s police state in 2011, with opposition fighters working to advance Turkey’s interests at the expense of the revolution’s goals.

   2. To raise (someone) in rank or office; to prefer, to promote. [from 14th c.]
      • 1611, The Bible, Authorized (King James) Version, Esther III.1:

        After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.

      • 1838, William H. Prescott, History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic

        This, however, was in time evaded by the monarchs, who advanced certain of their own retainers to a level with the ancient peers of the land […]

2. To move forward in space or time.
   1. To move or push (something) forwards, especially forcefully. [from 14th c.]
      • 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost:

        Whence and what art thou, execrable shape, / That dar'st, though grim and terrible, advance / Thy miscreated front athwart my way / To yonder gates?

   2. To make (something) happen at an earlier time or date; to bring forward, to hasten. [form 15th c.]
   3. (intransitive) To move forwards; to approach. [from 16th c.]
      • 1829, Marchioness of Lemington, Rosina, or the Virtuous Country Maid, Ninth ed.:

        I advanced towards him step by step, stopping sometimes for fear of waking him.

   4. To provide (money or other value) before it is due, or in expectation of some work; to lend. [from 16th c.]
      • 1869, Anthony Trollope, Phineas Finn:

        “I had intended to ask you to advance me a hundred pounds,” said Phineas.

      • 1871, James William Gilbart, The Principles and Practice of Banking:

        On the urgent representations of several parties of the first importance in the City of London, the bank advanced 120,000l. to the Governor and Company of the Copper Miners […].

   5. To put forward (an idea, argument etc.); to propose. [from 16th c.]
      • 1711, Alexander Pope, An Essay on Crticism:

        Some ne'er advance a Judgement of their own, / But catch the spreading notion of the Town […].

   6. (intransitive) To make progress; to do well, to succeed. [from 16th c.]
      • 2014, Andrew Sparrow, The Guardian, 24 April:

        Earlier the caller said men were more likely to be in senior positions. Clegg says that's partly because the current maternity leave arrangements make it difficult for women to advance in the workplace.

   7. (intransitive) To move forward in time; to progress towards completion. [from 16th c.]
      • 1927, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes:

        I can promise you that you will feel even less humorous as the evening advances.

3. To raise, be raised.
   1. (transitive, now archaic) To raise; to lift or elevate. [from 14th c.]
      • c. 1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, I.2:

        The fringed Curtaines of thine eyes aduance.

   2. To raise or increase (a price, rate). [from 14th c.]
      • 1924, The Times, 16 July:

        In February last […] bakers advanced the price of bread sold over the counter in London from 8d. to 8½d. per quartern loaf.

   3. To increase (a number or amount). [from 16th c.]
   4. (intransitive) To make a higher bid at an auction. [from 18th c.]

Synonyms

• raise, elevate, exalt, aggrandize, improve, heighten, accelerate, allege, adduce, assign

Antonyms

• regress
• retract (in phonetics)

Derived terms

• advancement
• in advance
• in advance of

Translations

Noun

advance (plural advances)

1. A forward move; improvement or progression.

2. An amount of money or credit, especially given as a loan, or paid before it is due; an advancement.
   • 1917, James Joyce, Dubliners (Counterparts)

     Could he ask the cashier privately for an advance? No, the cashier was no good, no damn good: he wouldn't give an advance.

   • 1780, John Jay, letter dated November 21

     I shall, with pleasure, make the necessary advances.

3. An addition to the price; rise in price or value.

4. (in the plural) An opening approach or overture, now especially of an unwelcome or sexual nature.
   • 1708, Jonathan Swift, The Sentiments of a Church of England Man with Respect to Religion and Government

     For, if it were of any use to recall matters of fact, what is more notorious, than that prince's applying himself first to the church of England? and upon their refusal to fall in with his measures, making the like advances to the dissenters of all kinds, who readily and almost universally complied with him

   • 1918, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Land That Time Forgot, chapter 4:

     As the sun fell, so did our spirits. I had tried to make advances to the girl again; but she would have none of me, and so I was not only thirsty but otherwise sad and downhearted.

   • 1923, Walter de la Mare, Seaton's Aunt

     I felt vaguely he was a sneak, and remained quite unmollified by advances on his side, which, in a boy's barbarous fashion, unless it suited me to be magnanimous, I haughtily ignored.

Antonyms

• (forward move): regress, regression

Translations

Adjective

advance (comparative more advance, superlative most advance)

1. Completed before necessary or a milestone event.

2. preceding

3. forward

Derived terms

• advance person