behaviour

American  

[bih-heyv-yer] / bɪˈheɪv yər /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. behavior.

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behaviour British  

/ bɪˈheɪvjə /

noun

1. manner of behaving or conducting oneself

2. behaving with careful good manners

3. psychol

   1. the aggregate of all the responses made by an organism in any situation

   2. a specific response of a certain organism to a specific stimulus or group of stimuli

4. the action, reaction, or functioning of a system, under normal or specified circumstances

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Spelling

See -or ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• behavioural
  adjective

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

He attributed his behaviour to a "manic episode" brought on by bipolar disorder.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

"Everything from wilderness survival training and sea survival to a lot of classroom-based stuff, physics, engineering, biology, human performance, and behaviour," he told BBC Breakfast.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

"This is the sunk cost fallacy," he said, adding that "it keeps the addictive behaviour loop".

From Barron's • May 31, 2026

"We hope this outcome offers some measure of justice to Sylvester's loved ones. We urge the public to challenge dangerous driving behaviour and report concerns to police."

From BBC • May 29, 2026

Only a month before, my ancient half-sister, who was twelve years older than me, had actually had appendicitis, and for several days before her operation I was able to observe her behaviour at close quarters.

From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl