behave

verb

be·​have bi-ˈhāv 

bē-

behaved; behaving

transitive verb

1

: to manage the actions of (oneself) in a particular way

2

: to conduct (oneself) in a proper manner

getting children to behave themselves

intransitive verb

1

: to act, function, or react in a particular way

He behaves like a child.

testing how various metals behave under heat and pressure

2

: to conduct oneself properly

Please behave.

behaver noun

Synonyms

• acquit
• bear
• carry
• comport
• conduct
• demean
• deport
• quit

Choose the Right Synonym for behave

behave, conduct, deport, comport, acquit mean to act or to cause oneself to do something in a certain way.

behave may apply to the meeting of a standard of what is proper or decorous.

the children behaved in church

conduct implies action or behavior that shows the extent of one's power to control or direct oneself.

conducted herself with unfailing good humor

deport implies behaving so as to show how far one conforms to conventional rules of discipline or propriety.

the hero deported himself in accord with the code of chivalry

comport suggests conduct measured by what is expected or required of one in a certain class or position.

comported themselves as gentlemen

acquit applies to action under stress that deserves praise or meets expectations.

acquitted herself well in her first assignment

Examples of behave in a Sentence

If you can't behave in the store we'll have to leave.

If you can't behave yourself in the store we'll have to leave.

I wish those children would behave themselves.

He behaves like a child!

The experiment tested how various metals behave under heat and pressure.

Recent Examples on the Web

Like Hamlet, Juicy doesn’t always behave in an exemplary fashion. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024

His folks often behave in a passive-aggressive manner toward me. —Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024

These all relate to certain standards that Congress has with respect to provisions of security assistance and wanting to see countries behave in a certain way, like complying with I.H.L. or insuring access to U.S.-provided humanitarian assistance. —Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

Scientists are eager to study why animals behave unusually during the brief moments of eclipses, and the public is invited to participate in some of the research taking place Monday. And expect the local temperature to drop briefly during those few moments of totality. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024

Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, published in 1915, declared in part that space and time together behave like a fabric, and that the mass of a celestial body can warp that fabric and, in turn, alter the path of light itself along that curvature. —Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2024

The Omen follows a couple in London, American Ambassador to the U.K. Robert Thorn (played by Peck) and his wife Kathy (Remick), whose 5-year-old son Damien (Stephens) begins behaving strangely. —Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024

But Brando obliterated the rules of how to behave in public, rejecting the offering of stardom, and in that rejection seeming to stand for a higher calling, noble and troubled and freshly attractive. —Ty Burr, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024

This would help quantum computers detect and correct errors, so that a cluster of physical qubits can altogether behave as one useful logical qubit. —IEEE Spectrum, 3 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English behaven, from be- be- + haven "to have entry 1, hold"

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

behave

verb

be·​have bi-ˈhāv 

behaved; behaving

1

: to conduct oneself

behaved badly at the meeting

2

: to conduct oneself properly

please behave

3

: to act, function, or react in a particular way

how metals behave under heat and pressure

Medical Definition

behave

verb

be·​have bi-ˈhāv 

behaved; behaving

transitive verb

: to bear or conduct (oneself) in a particular way

intransitive verb

: to act, function, or react in a particular way