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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
behavesimple
-
behavessimple
-
have behavedperfect
-
has behavedperfect
-
am behavingprogressive
-
are behavingprogressive
-
is behavingprogressive
-
have been behavingperfect progressive
-
has been behavingperfect progressive
Past
-
behavedsimple
-
had behavedperfect
-
was behavingprogressive
-
were behavingprogressive
-
had been behavingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of behave
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English behaven “to behave oneself”; equivalent to be- + have
Explanation
The way you act or conduct yourself is how you behave. Teachers and parents often tell kids Behave! If you follow rules and get along with others, you behave well, while if you are nasty and rude, you behave badly. Behave can suggest acting in a polite manner, as when you tell a child (or an adult) to behave in public. We usually behave differently in different situations — like when no one is watching. If you tell someone "practice what you preach" you are pointing out that the way they behave doesn't quite match up to their words.
Vocabulary lists containing behave
Sula
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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.
See Examples For:
As in most of the director’s movies, the characters behave like preening betta fish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
What’s more, the toxic chemicals in smoke damage lung-cell DNA, which acts like an instruction manual telling the cells how to behave.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
In fact, he has already done so, and leaders around the world know this, and seemingly behave accordingly.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
It does not guarantee the Atlantic will behave as scientists hope.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
But what was the point, the purpose, of my salvation if it did not permit me to behave with love toward others, no matter how they behaved toward me?
From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
“Unless Starlink behaves very aggressively, the Big 3 will probably not provide an MVNO.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026
“Bitcoin may benefit from demand for assets operating outside conventional financial channels, but during sudden geopolitical shocks it often behaves like a high-risk technology investment, leaving it vulnerable to rapid selling when investors reduce exposure.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
A conventional sprinkler behaves somewhat like a rotating rocket.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
What makes whipped cottage cheese especially useful is that it behaves less like a “health swap” and more like a base sauce.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Hoping your face behaves, not letting it betray anything.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
The released model behaved as if it never learned that information.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
"If you go back to the days of the 90s or 00s a lot of brands fell out with footballers because they were so badly behaved," PR expert Mark Borkowski told the BBC.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The result was one continuous circulation loop that behaved like a steady planetary heartbeat.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
Sen. Ted Cruz says without irony that “the framers were worried that we would have an executive that behaved like a king.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Sound and light, Doppler argued, behaved according to universal and natural laws—even if these were deeply counterintuitive to ordinary viewers or listeners.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
They do not explain why Washington could borrow at a discount for 40 years while behaving like this.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Ofcom said Virgin's commission scheme "effectively encouraged" and financially rewarded call centre agents for "behaving in this way".
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
One way a court can handle rumors of interpersonal bickering is to stop behaving badly in public sessions.
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026
The yellow metal—traditionally seen as a safe haven—is behaving increasingly like a risky asset, he says, noting its prices were volatile on extreme speculation in 4Q last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
It had become obvious to me by then, from the way the doctors, the co-ordinator, the nurses were behaving, that they didn’t think she was going to make it.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
