misbehave

American  

[mis-bi-heyv] / ˌmɪs bɪˈheɪv /

verb (used without object)

misbehaved, misbehaving

1. to behave badly or improperly.

   The children misbehaved during our visit.

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verb (used with object)

misbehaved, misbehaving

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

   Several of the guests misbehaved themselves.

misbehave British  

/ ˌmɪsbɪˈheɪvjə, ˌmɪsbɪˈheɪv /

verb

1. to behave (oneself) badly

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Other Word Forms

• misbehaver
  noun
• misbehaviour
  noun

Etymology

Origin of misbehave

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

Explanation

When you misbehave, you do something bad. One way to misbehave would be to stand on the roof of your house and throw water balloons at people walking by. Kids are probably most often said to misbehave, although adults misbehave at least as often. A bank executive, for example, might misbehave by embezzling money, and a politician misbehaves when she lies under oath. The meaning of the word is clear once you know that the prefix mis- means "bad or wrong," from Old English. When you combine it with behave, you get bad behavior.

Example Sentences

Misbehave, mis-be-hāv′, v.i. to behave ill or improperly.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

Related Words

• act up
• fool around
• trespass