behave
verb (used without object)
to act in a particular way; conduct or comport oneself or itself.
were behaving
-
past progressiveof behave.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Lilly had its own struggles producing enough tirzepatide, but it quickly turned to new ideas that aligned with the way many patients were behaving — like consumers, not patients.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
"This tells me about the whole community, this tells me about how they were thinking, how they were behaving, how they were revering the heavens."
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
How markets were behaving before the war mattered too.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
The muscles around my vocal cords were behaving improperly, squeezing too hard instead of relaxing when they should.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026
They were behaving just like the voters did in the 1920 presidential election when they took one look at Warren Harding, jumped to a conclusion, and stopped thinking.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
