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misbehave

[mis-bi-heyv]
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verb (used without object), mis·be·haved, mis·be·hav·ing.
  1. to behave badly or improperly: The children misbehaved during our visit.
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verb (used with object), mis·be·haved, mis·be·hav·ing.
  1. to conduct (oneself) without regard for good manners or accepted moral standards: Several of the guests misbehaved themselves.
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Origin of misbehave

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at mis-1, behave
Related formsmis·be·hav·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

trespasssinoffendfailmisconductroughhousedeviatetransgress

Examples from the Web for misbehave

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • 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

  • And if you try to hook it, or misbehave anyways, you get put in solitary.

    Pippin; A Wandering Flame

    Laura E. Richards

  • He urged me to do likewise, to misbehave, to sin with officers of the garrison.

    Ulysses

    James Joyce

  • When their ichor is up, they misbehave as we do when our blood is up, during the fury of war.

  • On land it's bad enough for us to misbehave; but submarine sentiment!

    The Fighting Chance

    Robert W. Chambers

British Dictionary definitions for misbehave

misbehave

verb
  1. to behave (oneself) badly
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Derived Formsmisbehaver, 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

Word Origin and History for misbehave

v.

"conduct oneself improperly," late 15c.; see mis- (1) + behave. Related: Misbehaved; misbehaving.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper