misbehave
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
misbehavesimple
-
misbehavessimple
-
have misbehavedperfect
-
has misbehavedperfect
-
am misbehavingprogressive
-
are misbehavingprogressive
-
is misbehavingprogressive
-
have been misbehavingperfect progressive
-
has been misbehavingperfect progressive
Past
-
misbehavedsimple
-
had misbehavedperfect
-
was misbehavingprogressive
-
were misbehavingprogressive
-
had been misbehavingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of misbehave
late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at mis- 1, behave
Explanation
When you misbehave, you do something bad. One way to misbehave would be to stand on the roof of your house and throw water balloons at people walking by. Kids are probably most often said to misbehave, although adults misbehave at least as often. A bank executive, for example, might misbehave by embezzling money, and a politician misbehaves when she lies under oath. The meaning of the word is clear once you know that the prefix mis- means "bad or wrong," from Old English. When you combine it with behave, you get bad behavior.
Vocabulary lists containing misbehave
List 5
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mis-
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mis-
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He explained that he was concerned that adults would misbehave.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
They may even feel emboldened to misbehave again.
From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026
Plans to allow Senedd members who misbehave to lose their seats through a "recall" ballot of constituents are also a part of the bill, which will face its first vote on Tuesday.
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2026
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.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2025
Students often misbehave when they’re confused about what they’re supposed to do.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
BB14’s collar shows she has returned to Topanga, where a possible third relocation awaits if she misbehaves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025
The act also says anyone who “shamefully casts away his arms, ammunition, tools, or equipment or misbehaves in such manner as to show cowardice in the presence of the enemy” faces the same penalty.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 24, 2024
Discipline is about teaching children how to behave, communicate and regulate their emotions, not, for example, losing your temper when a child misbehaves.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 29, 2022
In addition, he said he wanted to see an end to Section 21 evictions, which occur when a tenant misbehaves or the landlord wishes to stop renting.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2022
You cannot hold an impartial judicial inquiry every time a child misbehaves itself.
From Treatise on Parents and Children by Shaw, Bernard
In 1934, Alcatraz opened as an official federal prison for men who had made escape attempts from other federal prisons, or otherwise misbehaved.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2025
Voters could be given the opportunity to kick politicians who have misbehaved out of the Welsh Parliament.
From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2025
Fans flooded the field, tore down a goal post, ripped up chunks of turf and misbehaved as if transported to joy long denied.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2023
We had some fans, occasionally, that really misbehaved and created a very uncomfortable atmosphere.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 24, 2022
When Joyce misbehaved, she simply ceased to exist for her mother.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
A top lawmaker from Australia's far-right One Nation party has grabbed headlines after exploding at a misbehaving dog as he was grilled on live TV.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Punishing a dog for misbehaving when traveling may only result in the dog having negative associations with road trips.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
Local resentment is rising, with social media vigilantes putting misbehaving tourists on blast - even as the Balinese maintain their world-famous hospitality.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2025
The organized bar should address judicial referrals of misbehaving government lawyers without hesitation and, when merited, with stringent punishment.
From Slate ● Mar. 17, 2025
But that would have been improper, and I didn’t want to be scolded for misbehaving.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
