misbehave

[ mis-bi-heyv ]

verb (used without object)

, mis·be·haved, mis·be·hav·ing.

1. to behave badly or improperly:

   The children misbehaved during our visit.

verb (used with object)

, mis·be·haved, mis·be·hav·ing.

1. to conduct (oneself ) without regard for good manners or accepted moral standards:

   Several of the guests misbehaved themselves.

misbehave

/ ˌmɪsbɪˈheɪvjə; ˌmɪsbɪˈheɪv /

verb

1. to behave (oneself) badly

Derived Forms

• ˌmisbeˈhaver, noun
• misbehaviour, noun

Other Words From

• misbe·haver noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of misbehave¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; mis- ¹, behave

Example Sentences

If a student’s grades slip or they misbehave, they can lose tens of thousands of dollars of their scholarship.

From ProPublica

As anyone over the age of, say, 8 should know, other children misbehaving doesn’t give you the green light to misbehave yourself.

From Washington Post

So next time your child misbehaves, think of Elizabeth Tegumiar and simply walk away.

From Time

If Facebook misbehaved, the trust would retract the company’s access to its members’ data.

From MIT Technology Review

In the case of GameStop, both the cynics and sentimentalists have been misbehaving.

From Fortune

The discussion of race in the league just serves to distract from why players misbehave.

From The Daily Beast

He is, you sense, trying not to misbehave, while remaining human and not becoming a Royal cyborg.

From The Daily Beast

And yet it is the privilege of the prince and the sultan to misbehave.

From The Daily Beast

A boy might be excused for that so long as he didn't misbehave.

From Project Gutenberg

To allow the child to misbehave without instantly making it unpleasantly conscious of the fact would be to spoil it.

From Project Gutenberg

But my dear, you don't meant to say that all bachelor clergymen misbehave themselves.

From Project Gutenberg

But if servants misbehave themselves, or leave their places, not being regularly discharged, they ought to be amerced or punished.

From Project Gutenberg

If he does not misbehave and keeps out of a lawsuit, he rarely comes in contact with his rulers.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• act up
• fool around
• trespass