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
Derived 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.
A BBC Scotland reporter at the scene described "clusters of antisocial behaviour" taking place across the city centre with at least one arrest.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
She told the court Brunning went on to work with vulnerable adults after she was taken out of Skircoat Lodge in 1994 when Phillips was investigated, with no complaints about her behaviour in that role.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
Kellen was asked by Committee counsel, Brittany Brignac, whether she had witnessed "any inappropriate behaviour" from individuals including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
Further concerns about Turner's behaviour while on the trip were brought to light in the internal church report.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
His admirable behaviour did not go unnoticed: it was a textbook example for Caspar Bartholin in 1611.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
