misbehave
verb
mis·be·have
ˌmis-bi-ˈhāv 
-bē-
misbehaved; misbehaving
1
a
transitive
: to conduct (oneself) badly or improperly
students who frequently misbehave themselves in class
b
intransitive
: to behave with poor manners or a lack of courtesy
He worried about the decline of family discipline, about the fact that local youth went out walking after dark, wasted time in levity, misbehaved in church.—
Tracy Kidder
Tracy Kidder
c
intransitive
: to behave with disregard for accepted moral standards especially in sexual matters
known for misbehaving with numerous women
d
intransitive
of a member of the armed forces
: to behave before or in the presence of the enemy in a way that does not conform to military standards or practice
… has been charged with desertion and misbehaving before the enemy …—Dan Lamothe
Dan Lamothe2
intransitive
: to behave in an unexpected or unwelcome way
After five floods in four years, people in Liberty County are used to seeing the Trinity River misbehave.—Adam Nossiter
Adam Nossiter
misbehaver
noun
plural misbehavers
misbehavers in the classroom
Examples of misbehave in a Sentence
scolded the children for misbehaving and sent them to bed early
Recent Examples on the Web
Leave it to Ben Stiller, the man who’s heading up the very practical production of Severance, to star in a bit about getting stuck on a misbehaving lift on the stage floor to point out the need for precision in production design.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
Scientists say it’s being caused by a misbehaving polar vortex combining with a key weather pattern that seems to be stuck in place.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 21 Feb. 2025
Cosseted from sunup to sundown by a smiling staff, they’re freed from the horse’s harness of daily routine, only to misbehave (drugs, alcohol, guns and worse) and then suffer for it.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 15 Feb. 2025
Another expressed hope the birth parents know about their puppy misbehaving.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misbehave
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
Scientists say it’s being caused by a misbehaving polar vortex combining with a key weather pattern that seems to be stuck in place.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 21 Feb. 2025
Cosseted from sunup to sundown by a smiling staff, they’re freed from the horse’s harness of daily routine, only to misbehave (drugs, alcohol, guns and worse) and then suffer for it.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 15 Feb. 2025
Another expressed hope the birth parents know about their puppy misbehaving.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misbehave
Cite this Entry
“Misbehave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misbehave. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
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