- a variation of behavior.
behaviour
Americannoun
noun
-
manner of behaving or conducting oneself
-
behaving with careful good manners
-
psychol
-
the aggregate of all the responses made by an organism in any situation
-
a specific response of a certain organism to a specific stimulus or group of stimuli
-
-
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.
"I will not tolerate such behaviour in my party."
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
The St Enoch Centre is located inside the Glasgow city centre dispersal zone which was established in March as part of a crackdown on crime and anti-social behaviour.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Nelmes said the way to spot a humpback whale was by the overall shape, white pectoral fins, and knobbly skin also known as barnacles, as well as the whales' behaviour.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
"The city rewards this dark triad behaviour... being uber confident, being able to control and manipulate others, not getting emotionally involved in decisions and being decisive," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Rut wordless conditioning is crude and wholesale; cannot bring home the finer distinctions, cannot inculcate the more complex courses of behaviour.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
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.
