get the better of

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"The situation, he could have handled it better or chosen his words better but emotions got the better of him," McCarthy told BBC World Service presenter Isaac Fanin.

From BBC

He kept reworking the confrontation scene between Salieri and Mozart, the play’s climactic moment in which irony once again gets the better of tragic recognition.

From Los Angeles Times

He kept going back, though, and one day curiosity got the better of him when he noticed someone pebbling the ice.

From BBC

The lust for vengeance eventually gets the better of him, but Swenson leads us step by step to depravity through sorrow, injustice and humiliation.

From Los Angeles Times

As soon as he’s spoken, his thoughts get the better of him.

From Literature