Adjacent Words

Behave definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BEHA'VE, v.t.
1. To restrain; to govern; to subdue.
He did behave his anger e'er 'twas spent.
This sense is obsolete. Yet it often seems to be implied; for to behave one's self, is really, to govern one's self; to have in command.
2. To carry; to conduct; used with the reciprocal pronoun; as, he behaves himself manfully. But the tendency of modern usage is to omit the pronoun; as, he behaves well.
BEHA'VE, v.i. To act; to conduct; generally applied to manners, or to conduct in any particular business; and in a good or bad sense. He behaves well or will.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: 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" [syn: act, behave, do]
2: behave in a certain manner; "She carried herself well"; "he bore himself with dignity"; "They conducted themselves well during these difficult times" [syn: behave, acquit, bear, deport, conduct, comport, carry]
3: behave well or properly; "The children must learn to behave" [syn: behave, comport] [ant: misbehave, misconduct, misdemean]

Merriam Webster's

verb (behaved; behaving) Etymology: Middle English behaven, from be- + haven to have, hold Date: 15th century transitive verb 1. to manage the actions of (oneself) in a particular way 2. to conduct (oneself) in a proper manner intransitive verb 1. to act, function, or react in a particular way 2. to conduct oneself properly • behaver noun Synonyms: 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>.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. 1 intr. a act or react (in a specified way) (behaved well). b (esp. to or of a child) conduct oneself properly. c (of a machine etc.) work well (or in a specified way) (the computer is not behaving today). 2 refl. (esp. of or to a child) show good manners (behaved herself). Phrases and idioms: behave towards treat (in a specified way). ill-behaved having bad manners or conduct. well-behaved having good manners or conduct. Etymology: BE- + HAVE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Behave Be*have", v. i. To act; to conduct; to bear or carry one's self; as, to behave well or ill. Note: This verb is often used colloquially without an adverb of manner; as, if he does not behave, he will be punished. It is also often applied to inanimate objects; as, the ship behaved splendidly.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Behave Be*have", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Behaved; p. pr. & vb. n. Behaving.] [AS. behabban to surround, restrain, detain (akin to G. gehaben (obs.) to have, sich gehaben to behave or carry one's self); pref. be- + habban to have. See Have, v. t. ] 1. To manage or govern in point of behavior; to discipline; to handle; to restrain. [Obs.] He did behave his anger ere 't was spent. --Shak. 2. To carry; to conduct; to comport; to manage; to bear; -- used reflexively. Those that behaved themselves manfully. --2 Macc. ii. 21.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(behaves, behaving, behaved) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. The way that you behave is the way that you do and say things, and the things that you do and say. I couldn't believe these people were behaving in this way... He'd behaved badly. = act VERB: V prep/adv, V prep/adv 2. If you behave or behave yourself, you act in the way that people think is correct and proper. You have to behave... They were expected to behave themselves. VERB: V, V pron-refl 3. In science, the way that something behaves is the things that it does. Under certain conditions, electrons can behave like waves rather than particles. VERB: V prep/adv

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. n. Act, conduct one's self, deport one's self, demean one's self, acquit one's self, behave one's self.

Moby Thesaurus

acquit, act, act toward, act well, be good, be nice, bear, behave toward, carry, comport, conduct, control, cope with, deal by, deal with, demean, deport, direct, disport, do, do by, do right, function, go on, handle, make, make as if, manage, misbehave, move, operate, perform, play, play the game, practice, proceed, quit, react, respond to, serve, take, treat, use, work