behave

[bih-heyv]

verb (used without object)

behaved, behaving 

1. to act in a particular way; conduct or comport oneself or itself.

   The ship behaves well.

   Synonyms: perform

2. to act properly.

   Did the child behave?

3. to act or react under given circumstances.

   This plastic behaves strangely under extreme heat or cold.

verb (used with object)

behaved, behaving 

1. to conduct or comport (oneself ) in a proper manner.

   Sit quietly and behave yourself.

behave

/ bɪˈheɪv /

verb

1. (intr) to act or function in a specified or usual way

2. to conduct (oneself) in a specified way

   he behaved badly towards her

3. to conduct (oneself) properly or as desired

   the child behaved himself all day

Other Word Forms

• unbehaving adjective
• well-behaved adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of behave¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English behaven “to behave oneself”; equivalent to be- + have

Word History and Origins

Origin of behave¹

C15: see _be- , _have

Example Sentences

"It's a difficult situation, and I believe we need more trustworthy platforms that don't allow people to behave badly."

Read more on Barron's

Unlike many other cancers, these tumors can behave unpredictably.

Read more on Science Daily

More work is needed to determine whether human macrophages behave the same way when muscle is injured.

Read more on Science Daily

Beijing is studying how U.S. models behave, where they fail, and how they can be manipulated.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Elon Musk, despite how badly Tesla’s stock performs or how outrageous he behaves, was just given a trillion dollar payday by the company’s shareholders.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• act 
• operate 
• perform 
• react