misbehave

[mis-bi-heyv]

verb (used without object)

misbehaved, misbehaving 

1. to behave badly or improperly.

   The children misbehaved during our visit.

verb (used with object)

misbehaved, misbehaving 

1. to conduct (oneself ) without regard for good manners or accepted moral standards.

   Several of the guests misbehaved themselves.

misbehave

/ ˌmɪsbɪˈheɪvjə, ˌmɪsbɪˈheɪv /

verb

1. to behave (oneself) badly

Other Word Forms

• misbehaver noun
• misbehaviour noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of misbehave¹

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

Example Sentences

The twins were horribly jealous to hear Baby Max praised by their mother, and decided to misbehave out of spite.

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But that would have been improper, and I didn’t want to be scolded for misbehaving.

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In my family, if you were to ask my parents, I’m the one who “misbehaves.”

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Local resentment is rising, with social media vigilantes putting misbehaving tourists on blast - even as the Balinese maintain their world-famous hospitality.

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Prodigy City is located in what was formerly Thailand, where the series was filmed, giving every character, human and otherwise, plenty of space to hide and misbehave.

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Related Words

• act up 
• fool around 
• trespass