- a variation of behavior.
behaviour
Americannoun
noun
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manner of behaving or conducting oneself
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behaving with careful good manners
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psychol
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the aggregate of all the responses made by an organism in any situation
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a specific response of a certain organism to a specific stimulus or group of stimuli
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the action, reaction, or functioning of a system, under normal or specified circumstances
Spelling
See -or 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of behaviour
C15: from behave ; influenced in form by Middle English havior , from Old French havoir , from Latin habēre to have
Explanation
Your behaviour is the way you act in various situations. Note that this word ends with "our," which is the British spelling, while the American English spelling is behavior. This discrepancy is common, and either spelling is correct. The Late Middle English word behavoure meant "to have possession," which seemingly refers to a person in control of his or her actions. If you are accused of childish behaviour, you might be acting as though you have little self-control. Scottish musician Shirley Manson once said: "A lot of celebrities just want money, fame, power, fancy cars, houses all over the world and have people bow down to them. To me, that's frightful behaviour."
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.
"We all have a duty to call out bad behaviour whenever we see it."
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Players are held to high standards as role models, and their off-field behaviour is as highly scrutinised as their on-field antics.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
"So fewer warnings, more actions penalised, and if there's any reduction in offences being penalised it should be a result of a modification of player behaviour rather than us no longer applying it."
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
They will ask you about things like your moods, behaviour, health and family history.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
It could simply be that a meaningless whim had suddenly overtaken me at that moment—but that is hardly a convincing way to account for such distinctly odd behaviour.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
