behaviour
Americannoun
noun
-
manner of behaving or conducting oneself
-
behaving with careful good manners
-
psychol
-
the aggregate of all the responses made by an organism in any situation
-
a specific response of a certain organism to a specific stimulus or group of stimuli
-
-
the action, reaction, or functioning of a system, under normal or specified circumstances
Spelling
See -or 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of behaviour
C15: from behave ; influenced in form by Middle English havior , from Old French havoir , from Latin habēre to have
Explanation
Your behaviour is the way you act in various situations. Note that this word ends with "our," which is the British spelling, while the American English spelling is behavior. This discrepancy is common, and either spelling is correct. The Late Middle English word behavoure meant "to have possession," which seemingly refers to a person in control of his or her actions. If you are accused of childish behaviour, you might be acting as though you have little self-control. Scottish musician Shirley Manson once said: "A lot of celebrities just want money, fame, power, fancy cars, houses all over the world and have people bow down to them. To me, that's frightful behaviour."
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.
"It is really disappointing to see young people involved in this type of behaviour, " Ch Insp Cherith Craig said.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
He said his mother sued him this year in a land ownership dispute under Thailand's "ungrateful child" law, which allows parents to reclaim assets previously given to children deemed unappreciative through their behaviour.
From Barron's • May 25, 2026
"As such, we continue to press for powers to allow us to take further action to enhance young driver safety, including the delivery of national behaviour change campaigns focused on young drivers."
From BBC • May 25, 2026
The court heard that Parker's behaviour had become "erratic" and he refused repeated attempts by his mother and sister to persuade him to get mental health support.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Such dramatic changes in behaviour would occur only if something changed in the chimpanzees’ DNA.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
