behavior

American  

[bih-heyv-yer] / bɪˈheɪv jər /

especially British, behaviour

noun

• behaviors
  plural

1. manner of behaving or acting.

   Synonyms:

   carriage, bearing, demeanor

2. Psychology, Animal Behavior.

   1. observable activity in a human or animal.

   2. the aggregate of responses to internal and external stimuli.

   3. a stereotyped, species-specific activity, as a courtship dance or startle reflex.

3. Often behaviors. a behavior pattern.

4. the action or reaction of any material under given circumstances.

   the behavior of tin under heat.

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behavior Scientific  

/ bĭ-hāv′yər /

1. The actions displayed by an organism in response to its environment.

2. One of these actions. Certain animal behaviors (such as nest building) result from instinct, while others (such as hunting) must be learned.

3. The manner in which a physical system, such as a gas, subatomic particle, or ecosystem, acts or functions, especially under specified conditions.

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behavior Idioms  

1. see on one's best behavior.

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Synonym Usage

Behavior, conduct, deportment, comportment refer to one's actions before or toward others, especially on a particular occasion. Behavior refers to actions usually measured by commonly accepted standards: His behavior at the party was childish. Conduct refers to actions viewed collectively, especially as measured by an ideal standard: Conduct is judged according to principles of ethics. Deportment is behavior related to a code or to an arbitrary standard: Deportment is guided by rules of etiquette. The teacher gave Susan a mark of B in deportment. Comportment is behavior as viewed from the standpoint of one's management of one's own actions: His comportment was marked by a quiet assurance.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interbehavior
  noun
• behavioral
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• behaviors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of behavior

First recorded in 1375–1425; behave ( def. ) + -ior (on model of havior, variant of havor, from Middle French (h)avoir “a having,” ultimately from Latin habēre “to have”); replacing late Middle English behavoure, behaver; see -or ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

Behavior refers to how you conduct yourself. Generally, it’s wise to engage in good behavior, even if you're really bored. The noun behavior is a spin-off of the verb behave. Get rid of the be in behave and you're left with have, which makes sense: you could say that to behave is to "have" or "own" yourself — to control yourself. There's also a broader definition of behavior, which is basically anything any living thing does in any situation. Brushing your teeth? Behavior. Scratching your nose? Behavior. Eating a large antelope because you are a lion and you're hungry? Also behavior.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

behavior behaviors

The report says that "agents sometimes but rarely restrained their behavior due to ethical constraints".

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Also assisting Pat are her eccentric neighbor, Prichard Knowles, and her daughter, Sofia, who contributes tough-love tips on how her mother might improve her own insensitive behavior.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Bots have gotten much better at solving them, prompting websites to rely increasingly on less visible—and more consumer-friendly—ways of detecting suspicious behavior.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

His mother, Colleen Burke, ran his firm and his finance manager, Robert Mogenroth, approved all the payments that funded his behavior, the lawsuit claims.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

“Well, that was a nice visit!” declared Magic, demonstrating she had no awareness of her behavior.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

“Boycotts can beget other boycotts, so there could be global risk to sales of U.S. business jets depending on how sentiment and behaviors change,” Capital Alpha said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

There are other ways to provide enrichment, like rotating toys every day to stimulate exploration, using puzzle feeder dishes to satisfy hunting behaviors and playing videos for your cat showing birds or fish.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

As the Centers for Disease Control put it, “students who are physically active tend to have better grades, school attendance, classroom behaviors, and cognitive performance.”

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026

That is not the case with AI, which he said requires continuous transformation and adaptive behaviors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

Are constantly challenged to do what is right and not convenient and come across as questionable in behaviors and dress.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Related Words

• act
• action
• attitude
• conduct
• demeanor
• management
• nature
• performance
• practice
• presence
• role
• style