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
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
However, he explained that the search could not proceed at one point because of the size of the crowd, "some of whom were behaving in a hostile fashion".
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026
It had become obvious to me by then, from the way the doctors, the co-ordinator, the nurses were behaving, that they didn’t think she was going to make it.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
