behave
verb (used without object)
to act in a particular way; conduct or comport oneself or itself.
behaved
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past participleof behave.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof behave.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
behaveverb (used without object)to act in a particular way; conduct or comport oneself or itself.
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.
Howe has high hopes for “The Body,” about badly behaved Catholic school girls who have prophetic visions after a dance team initiation goes awry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
A U.K. government-backed research group said OpenAI and Anthropic systems took unsanctioned actions and behaved deceptively during testing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
This approach helped address a major criticism of earlier "power pose" research: that participants may have behaved differently because they understood what the researchers expected.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
Instead, reporters sat in their black-tie attire and behaved like sycophants.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
“Perrington tells me that you behaved yourself well on this trip.”
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
