behoove
[bih-hoov](chiefly in impersonal use)
verb (used with object), be·hooved, be·hoov·ing.
to be necessary or proper for, as for moral or ethical considerations; be incumbent on: It behooves the court to weigh evidence impartially.
to be worthwhile to, as for personal profit or advantage: It would behoove you to be nicer to those who could help you.
verb (used without object), be·hooved, be·hoov·ing.
Archaic. to be needful, proper, or due: Perseverance is a quality that behooves in a scholar.
Origin of behoove
before 900; Middle English behoven, Old English behōfian to need (behōf behoof + -ian infinitive suffix)
Synonyms for behoove
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for behoove
Historical Examples of behoove
It will behoove France to see that her entrances are well guarded.
A Little Girl in Old QuebecAmanda Millie Douglas
Under these circumstances, I think, it does not behoove us to be too severe.
A Little Traitor to the SouthCyrus Townsend Brady
But not another word about it: It does not behoove me to judge the past, for it does not belong to me.
Louisa Of Prussia and Her TimesLouise Muhlbach
It does not behoove the maestro to stand at the side of his pupil.
Louisa Of Prussia and Her TimesLouise Muhlbach
"It does not behoove me to advise my sagacious and prudent husband," she said.
Napoleon and the Queen of PrussiaL. Mhlbach,
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper