misbehave

[ mis-bi-heyv ]

/ ˌmɪs bɪˈheɪv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR misbehave ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), mis·be·haved, mis·be·hav·ing.

to behave badly or improperly: The children misbehaved during our visit.

verb (used with object), mis·be·haved, mis·be·hav·ing.

to conduct (oneself) without regard for good manners or accepted moral standards: Several of the guests misbehaved themselves.

Content related to misbehave

Words And Phrases Your Parents Used That You Can’t Use Now Parenting has changed over the years and so has the language. While some phrases were popular years ago, today they are obsolete ... and for good reason. Here are ten old expressions that your parents might have used but you wouldn't dare use today.

Words related to misbehave

trespass, sin, offend, fail, misconduct, roughhouse, deviate, transgress

Words nearby misbehave

misapprehension, misappropriate, misarrange, misbecome, misbegotten, misbehave, misbehavior, misbelief, misbelieve, misbrand, misc.

Origin of misbehave

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at mis-¹, behave

OTHER WORDS FROM misbehave

mis·be·hav·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for misbehave

He is, you sense, trying not to misbehave, while remaining human and not becoming a Royal cyborg.
Prince Harry Should Be King: The Royal Family’s Ace Card|Tim Teeman|June 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And yet it is the privilege of the prince and the sultan to misbehave.
How the Sultan of Brunei Violated His Sharia Law With Me|Jillian Lauren|May 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Granted that they wished to misbehave, it was pleasant for them to be able to do so.
A Room With A View|E. M. Forster
The boat will misbehave, or the wind will be easterly, and I shall be told southerly is the popping wind.
Love Me Little, Love Me Long|Charles Reade

The hold of the Muiron is at present used as a dungeon for the forçats or galley-slaves who misbehave.
The World of Waters|Mrs. David Osborne
On land it's bad enough for us to misbehave; but submarine sentiment!
The Fighting Chance|Robert W. Chambers
To allow the child to misbehave without instantly making it unpleasantly conscious of the fact would be to spoil it.
A Treatise on Parents and Children|George Bernard Shaw

British Dictionary definitions for misbehave

misbehave

/ (ˌmɪsbɪˈheɪv) /

verb

to behave (oneself) badly

Derived forms of misbehave

misbehaver, nounmisbehaviour (ˌmɪsbɪˈheɪvjə), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012