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.
And that’s the most fans are likely to see the twosome behaving like a twosome in public, at least until maybe 2039 or so.
From Los Angeles Times
“A slow grind higher in oil prices behaves like a tax that the economy absorbs, one that seeps into input costs, transportation, and eventually wages,” he said.
From Barron's
More recent studies have shown that physical factors such as tissue stiffness also influence how cells behave.
From Science Daily
It’s behaved much more like a risk asset in recent times but has not played that role since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran at the weekend.
From Barron's
“This is not only a Korea story, but also a useful reminder of how markets behave when energy prices jump: investors quickly revisit the most optimistic bets,” he added.
From Barron's
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.
