behave
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to act in a particular way; conduct or comport oneself or itself.
The ship behaves well.
- Synonyms:
- perform
-
to act properly.
Did the child behave?
-
to act or react under given circumstances.
This plastic behaves strangely under extreme heat or cold.
verb (used with object)
verb
-
(intr) to act or function in a specified or usual way
-
to conduct (oneself) in a specified way
he behaved badly towards her
-
to conduct (oneself) properly or as desired
the child behaved himself all day
Other Word Forms
- unbehaving adjective
- well-behaved adjective
Etymology
Origin of behave
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English behaven “to behave oneself”; equivalent to be- + have
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.
The finding reveals a form of transport that behaves very differently from what is seen in ordinary matter.
From Science Daily
By combining these tools, scientists can directly observe how stomata behave as environmental conditions change, providing a real-time view of plant responses that was not possible before.
From Science Daily
To test how the material behaves in the body, the scientists placed the nanocomposites in simulated body fluid.
From Science Daily
Nick Reiner, who lived in a guest property at his parents' home, had attended comedian Conan O'Brien's glitzy party on Saturday, December 13 with his parents, where some attendees reportedly spoke of his behaving erratically.
From Barron's
And the markets behaved just as contrarians expected in the wake of last year’s sentiment extremes.
From MarketWatch
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.
