Definitions for behave
bɪˈheɪvbe·have

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:5.0 / 2 votes

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"

WiktionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

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 DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To Behaveverb

   Etymology: from be and have.

   1. To carry; to conduct: used almost always with the reciprocal pronoun.

   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.

   2. It seems formerly to have had the sense of, to govern; to subdue; to discipline: but this is not now used.

   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.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Behave

   Behave is a song recorded by Swedish singer Benjamin Ingrosso. The song was released in Sweden on 1 October 2018 as the third single from Ingrosso's debut studio album, Identification. "Behave" peaked at number 8 on the Swedish Singles Chart.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. behave

   To behave refers to the way one acts or conducts oneself, particularly towards others. It can also refer to the response or actions taken by a thing or person under specific circumstances or in reaction to certain stimuli. The nature of this conduct or response can be influenced by certain rules, societal norms, or inherent characteristics.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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 DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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 ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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

1. • Act
   • Carry

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?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

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. Ron Wyden:

   Drugmakers behave as if patients and taxpayers are unlocked ATMs full of cash to be extracted, and their shareholders are the customers they value above all else.

2. Superintendent Gill Murray:

   It's clear that unfortunately there is still a minority who think it is acceptable to behave in such an abhorrent manner, the men shouted as they walked through the station having alighted from the train a short time. There is more that needs to be done to address the issue once and for all and British Transport Police is actively working with football clubs, the football authorities and other key agencies to tackle this appalling behavior.

3. Edward Morgan Forster:

   The historian must have some conceptions of how men who are not historians behave.

4. Catherine Brown:

   You have some states that are teaching inaccurate information, students deserve to have age-appropriate, helpful information about how to behave in intimate relationships.

5. Michael McConnell:

   At times when the nation is being torn apart, it's especially useful that the branch of government that still commands the highest trust of the American public -- and, I think most of the time, does behave in the less partisan, less divisive ways -- for that branch to speak up and remind the American public the principles underlying this.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=behave
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Behave
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=behave
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behave
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behave
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=behave