Synonyms

misbehave

American

[mis-bi-heyv] / ˌmɪs bɪˈheɪv /

verb (used without object)

misbehaved, misbehaving

to behave badly or improperly.

The children misbehaved during our visit.

verb (used with object)

misbehaved, misbehaving

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

Several of the guests misbehaved themselves.

misbehave British

/ ˌmɪsbɪˈheɪvjə, ˌmɪsbɪˈheɪv /

verb

to behave (oneself) badly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

misbehaver noun
misbehaviour noun

Etymology

Origin of misbehave

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

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.

Will she kick me out and leave me in the street if I misbehave?

From Literature

My dad says when I was a child, he took me to the country club one Sunday after church and I began misbehaving—knocking stuff over, throwing rolls and being naughty.

From The Wall Street Journal

Plans to allow Senedd members who misbehave to lose their seats through a "recall" ballot of constituents are also a part of the bill, which will face its first vote on Tuesday.

From BBC

She says if a child misbehaved or a class got too hectic, it was often her daughter who was told to leave the room because she could not cope in the situation.

From BBC

The twins were horribly jealous to hear Baby Max praised by their mother, and decided to misbehave out of spite.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023