behave
verb (used without object)
to act in a particular way; conduct or comport oneself or itself.
behaved
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past participleof behave.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof behave.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
behaveverb (used without object)to act in a particular way; conduct or comport oneself or itself.
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.
Instead, their experiments showed that prolonged exposure could alter how cells behaved even after the original mechanical conditions were removed.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
It is unclear yet from official data, which have a lag, how investors outside France have behaved during the recent volatility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
If Earth behaved like a completely solid blue marble, its center of mass would line up with its geometric center.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
Back in the castle, Ranganathan pointed out: "If somebody else had behaved like Richard, we wouldn't even be having a debate about this, you would just go 'you've got to vote for him'."
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
“H-mm, let’s see,” murmured the clerk, who always behaved as if the hotel might be full even though he knew it was not.
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
