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.

---

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.

---

behavior Idioms  

1. see on one's best behavior.

---

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

Researchers say this behavior matches predictions from the dark matter halo in their model when combined with the known mass of the Milky Way's disk and central bulge.

From Science Daily

By reflecting sunlight and helping cool the planet, it influences ocean circulation, atmospheric behavior, and extreme weather patterns far beyond the polar regions.

From Science Daily

As usual, it’s the bad guys who attract the most attention rather than the conditions that enabled their behavior or the consequences for those who suffered from it.

From The Wall Street Journal

A later generation of sociologists might have diagnosed Göring’s martial flamboyance as a form of “homeovestism”—that is, exaggerated and often impractical gender-normative dress or behavior intended to signal elite social status.

From The Wall Street Journal

The suits have long paid for their bad behavior in movies.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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