What does behave mean?

Definitions for behave
bɪˈheɪvbe·have

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word behave.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. act, behave, doverb

    behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself

    "You should act like an adult"; "Don't behave like a fool"; "What makes her do this way?"; "The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people"

  2. behave, acquit, bear, deport, conduct, comport, carryverb

    behave in a certain manner

    "She carried herself well"; "he bore himself with dignity"; "They conducted themselves well during these difficult times"

  3. behave, comportverb

    behave well or properly

    "The children must learn to behave"

Wiktionary

  1. behaveverb

    To conduct (oneself) well, or in a given way.

    You need to behave yourself, young lady.

  2. behaveverb

    To act, conduct oneself in a specific manner;

  3. behaveverb

    To conduct, manage, regulate (something).

  4. behaveverb

    To act in a polite or proper way.

    His mother threatened to spank him if he didn't behave.

  5. Etymology: From late behaven, equivalent to. Compare behabban, behaben.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. To Behaveverb

    Etymology: from be and have.

    We behaved not ourselves disorderly among you. 2 Thessal. iii. 7.

    Manifest signs came from heaven, unto those that behaved themselves manfully. 2 Macc. ii. 21.

    To their wills wedded, to their errours slaves,
    No man, like them, they think, himself behaves. John Denham.

    We so live, and so act, as if we were secure of the final issue and event of things, however we may behave ourselves. Francis Atterbury.

    But who his limbs with labours, and his mind
    Behaves with cares, cannot so easy miss. Fairy Queen, b. ii.

    With such sober and unnoted passion,
    He did behave his anger ere ’twas spent,
    As if he had but prov’d an argument. William Shakespeare, Timon.

  2. To Behaveverb

    To act; to conduct one’s self. It is taken either in a good or a bad sense; as, he behaved well or ill.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Behaveverb

    to manage or govern in point of behavior; to discipline; to handle; to restrain

  2. Behaveverb

    to carry; to conduct; to comport; to manage; to bear; -- used reflexively

  3. Behaveverb

    to act; to conduct; to bear or carry one's self; as, to behave well or ill

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Behave

    be-hāv′, v.t. to bear or carry, to conduct (with self).—v.i. to conduct one's self, also to conduct one's self well: to act.—n. Behaviour (be-hāv′yür), conduct: manners or deportment, esp. good manners: general course of life: treatment of others.—To be upon one's behaviour, to be placed where one's best behaviour is politic or necessary. [Formed, according to Dr Murray, in 15th century from be- and Have; apparently unconnected with A.S. behabban.]

Editors Contribution

  1. behave

    To act a specific way

    They do behave in a respectful and responsible way


    Submitted by MaryC on February 11, 2020  

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'behave' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4163

  2. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'behave' in Verbs Frequency: #530

How to pronounce behave?

How to say behave in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of behave in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of behave in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of behave in a Sentence

  1. Chris Barron:

    Whenever the left wants to lampoon someone on the right President Trump always play the gay card. This is exactly what they think of gay people - that our lives and our relationships are jokes. Something deserving of ridicule and scorn, most middle school children behave better than this.

  2. John Irving:

    The way you define yourself as a writer is that you write every time you have a free minute. If you didn't behave that way you would never do anything.

  3. John Legere:

    It's a bit dumbfounding to think that we've decided to go and build this network and go through this merger so that we can become the basic, lazy, fat, dumb and arrogant players that we were born to teach how to behave.

  4. Pia Sundhage:

    Look at Formiga. We shouldn’t think it is over for them, no, the way they play, they way they behave in the group as human beings ... it is very encouraging. They can play many matches.

  5. Rupert Sheldrake:

    In no other field of scientific endeavor do otherwise intelligent people feel free to make public claims based on prejudice and ignorance. Yet in relation to psychic phenomena, committed materialists feel free to disregard the evidence and behave irrationally and unscientifically, while claiming to speak in the name of science and reason. They abuse the authority of science and bring rationalism into disrepute.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

behave#10000#13337#100000

Translations for behave

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"behave." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 6 Jun 2023. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/behave>.

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