behavior

American  

[bih-heyv-yer] / bɪˈheɪv yər /

especially British, behaviour

noun

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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Related Words

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

• behavioral adjective
• interbehavior noun

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; -or ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

The “Scandal” alum in a Monday Instagram post encouraged viewers to call their senators as she modeled the behavior on camera.

From Los Angeles Times

The roughly 15- to 20-year-old turtle’s blood work, appetite, behavior, weight and X-rays have all been “normal,” according to Adams.

From Los Angeles Times

Porter apologized and expressed remorse for her tetchy behavior.

From Los Angeles Times

She writes about how America’s biggest food companies—including Kraft Heinz, Kellogg and Hershey—are navigating the precipitous rise of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, weight-loss drugs and changing consumer eating behaviors.

From The Wall Street Journal

"By exploring phenomena like inner speech, and understanding the mechanisms of such processes, we gain fundamental new insights into human biology and behavior," Dr. Queißer concludes.

From Science Daily

Related Words

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