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 real test will be how markets behave through the rest of the week, particularly given the recent pattern of selling into the weekend,” said Mark Hackett, chief markets strategist for Nationwide.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
When you don’t know the length of the runway, you behave differently.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026
The error was particularly humiliating for companies focused on making AI behave according to human values and intentions, which is known as “alignment.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
The footage was gathered during fieldwork in the Azores and Balearic islands between 2020 and 2022, offering a rare look at how these animals behave near the ocean surface.
From Science Daily • Mar. 23, 2026
For who was to say how they would behave, if they wandered too far from the house?
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
