Adjacent Words

Behoove definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BEHOOVE, v.t. behoof'. To be necessary for; to be fit for; to be meet for, with respect to necessity, duty, or convenience.
And thus it behooved Christ to suffer. Luke 24.
It may perhaps be used intransitively; as, let him behave as it behooveth; but I believe such use is rare.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: be appropriate or necessary; "It behooves us to reflect on this matter" [syn: behoove, behove]

Merriam Webster's

verb (behooved; behooving) Etymology: Middle English behoven, from Old English beh?fian, from beh?f Date: before 12th century transitive verb to be necessary, proper, or advantageous for <it behooves us to go> intransitive verb to be necessary, fit, or proper

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Behoove Be*hoove", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Behooved; p. pr. & vb. n. Behooving.] [OE. bihoven, behoven, AS. beh?fian to have need of, fr. beh?f. See Behoof.] To be necessary for; to be fit for; to be meet for, with respect to necessity, duty, or convenience; -- mostly used impersonally. And thus it behooved Christ to suffer. --Luke xxiv. 46. [Also written behove.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Behoove Be*hoove", v. i. To be necessary, fit, or suitable; to befit; to belong as due. --Chaucer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Behoove Be*hoove", n. Advantage; behoof. [Obs.] It shall not be to his behoove. --Gower.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

be-hoov': Used in the New Testament for two Greek words dei (Lu 24:26; Ac 17:3) and opheilo (Heb 2:17); the former referring to a physical, and the latter to a moral, necessity (Bengelon, 1Co 11:10). The former means "must," that is, it is required by the order which God has ordained; the latter, "ought," that is, it is required as a debt.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Become, befit, beseem, be fit for, be proper for, be meet for. 2. Be necessary or needful for, be binding or obligatory on, be one's duty.