behoove

[ bih-hoov ]

/ bɪˈhuv /

(chiefly in impersonal use)

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See synonyms for: behoove / behooves on Thesaurus.com

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR behoove

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Also especially British, be·hove

[bih-hohv] /bɪˈhoʊv/ .

First recorded before 900; Middle English behoven, Old English behōfian “to need” (behōf behoof + -ian infinitive suffix)

The war no one remembersIn recounting this inauspicious chapter in our history it might behoove us to acknowledge that few Americans care about this strange little war.
In 1814, British forces burned the U.S. Capitol|Joel Achenbach|January 6, 2021|Washington Post
So, it would probably behoove all of us to know a little bit more about how this ecosystem functions, whether it’s as effective as Google says it is or as ineffective as researchers like Steve Tadelis told us earlier, about his research at eBay.
Does Advertising Actually Work? (Part 2: Digital) (Ep. 441)|Stephen J. Dubner|November 26, 2020|Freakonomics
One reporter asked her a fairly dumb question to which she responded politely, in essence telling him it would behoove him to do his research before he asked questions in the future so he would sound smarter.
A hero passes; may RBG rest in peace|Peter Rosenstein|September 24, 2020|Washington Blade
The serious magazines felt similarly behooved to weigh in, also largely to sneer.
‘You’ve Got to Be Kidding’: Why Adults Dismissed The Beatles in 1964|Michael Tomasky|January 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

So it behooved them to find something absorbing to keep their attention keyed up to the proper pitch.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
But I felt that this would be weakness, and that it behooved me to repair the evil which had happened.
History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. XVIII. (of XXI.)|Thomas Carlyle
Indeed, with the views that had come up since, it behooved him to be cautious, until he knew both the man and the circumstances.
Doctor Grimshawe's Secret|Nathaniel Hawthorne
As he did so, he made up his mind that if Carrie was alone, or if she had gone to another place, it behooved him to find out.
Sister Carrie|Theodore Dreiser
It behooved her to hasten if she were to finish her letter before tea time, but that question of Sue's had set her to thinking.
Bee and Butterfly|Lucy Foster Madison