betters

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of better.

   She felt no need to defer to her supposed betters.

   In that household, servants never questioned their betters.

   Note

   The plural is where the "superior" noun mostly lives. Speakers say my betters or their betters, nearly always with a possessive, and the phrase often carries deference or a dry irony. The same spelling also serves as a plural for people who place wagers, because better is an alternative spelling of bettor. Context tells the two apart: a ranking points to superiors, a racetrack to gamblers.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of better.

   The latest engine betters its predecessor in both power and economy.

   Hard practice betters her chances of making the team.

   Note

   Only the full verb takes this -s. A new engine betters its predecessor; steady practice betters a player's chances. The colloquial modal better, short for had better, never inflects, so the form is he better leave, never he betters leave. Most uses are transitive and mean either surpassing a rival or a record, or improving something. Context usually makes clear which of the two is meant.

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