Meanings
present singular third person behaves · participle present behaving · participle past behaved · past behaved · first person past singular behaved · archaic present second person singular behavest · past second person singular behaved · archaic past second person singular behavedst · present singular third person behaves · archaic present singular third person behaveth · past singular third person behaved · past plural behaved · past subjunctive behaved · participle present behaving · participle past behaved
- reflexiveTo conduct (oneself) well, or in a given way; to conform.
You need to behave yourself, young lady.
1 more example
And the manifest signs that came from heaven unto those that behaved themselves manfully to their honour for Judaism[…]
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Maccabees 2:21 - intransitiveTo act, conduct oneself in a specific manner; used with an adverbial of manner.
How did the students behave while I was gone?
3 more examples
He behaves like a child whenever she's around.
My laptop has been behaving erratically ever since you borrowed it.
Manganism has been known about since the 19th century, when miners exposed to ores containing manganese, a silvery metal, began to totter, slur their speech and behave like someone inebriated.
2014 April 21, “Subtle effects”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8884 - obsoletetransitiveTo conduct, manage, regulate (something).
He did behave his anger ere 'twas spent.
c. 1605–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v], page 881 more example
But who his limbs with labours, and his mind / Behaues with cares, cannot so easie mis.
1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, book 2, canto 3, verse 40 - intransitiveTo act in a polite or proper way.
His mother threatened to spank him if he didn't behave.
1 more example
One time when Willie was more set on clowning than on learning about Jesus, Miss Helen ordered, "Willie Mack, you stand up against the wall until you learn to behave."
2009, Roger L. Van Ommeren, From Rebellion to Submission, page 48
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo act, conduct oneself in a specific manner; used with an adverbial of manner.
More synonyms by meaning
verbbehave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁ep-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁éps
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁épi
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁pi
- Proto-Germanic*bi
- Proto-Germanic*bi-
- Proto-West Germanic*bi-
- Proto-Indo-European*kap-
- Proto-Germanic*habjaną
- Proto-West Germanic*habbjan
- Proto-West Germanic*bihabbjan
- Old Englishbehabban
- Middle Englishbehaven
- Englishbehave
From Middle English behaven, bihabben (“to restrain, behave”), from Old English behabban (“to surround, embrace, hold, contain, hold back, withhold, restrain”), from Proto-West Germanic *bihabbjan, equivalent to be- + have. Cognate with Middle Low German behebben, behāven (“to receive, acquire, reach, keep”), Low German behebben (“to act, behave”), German behaben (“to behave”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic تَصَرَّفَ, تَصَرَّفَ بِشَكْل
- تَصَرَّفَ (taṣarrafa)to act in a specific manner
- تَصَرَّفَ بِشَكْل (taṣarrafa bišakl)to act in a polite or proper way
- مُؤَدَّب (muʔaddab)to act in a polite or proper way
Bulgarian държа́ се, постъ́пвам
- държа́ се (dăržá se)to act in a specific manner
- постъ́пвам (postắpvam)to act in a specific manner
- постъ́пя (postắpja)to act in a specific manner
- държа́ се добре́ (dăržá se dobré)to act in a polite or proper way
Catalan portar-se, comportar-se
- portar-seto act in a specific manner
- comportar-seto act in a specific manner
- captenir-seto act in a specific manner
Chinese Mandarin 為人 /为人, 做人
- 為人 /为人 (wéirén)to act in a specific manner
- 做人 (zuòrèn)to act in a polite or proper way
- 舉動 /举动 (jǔdòng)to act in a polite or proper way
Czech chovat se, chovat se
- chovat seto act in a specific manner
- chovat seto act in a polite or proper way
Danish opføre sig, opføre sig godt/ordentligt
- opføre sigto act in a specific manner
- opføre sig godt/ordentligtto act in a polite or proper way
Dutch zich gedragen, zich gedragen
- zich gedragento act in a specific manner
- zich gedragento act in a polite or proper way
Esperanto konduti
- kondutito act in a specific manner
Estonian käituma, käituma (viisakalt, korralikult, ...)
- käitumato act in a specific manner
- käituma (viisakalt, korralikult, ...)to act in a polite or proper way
Finnish käyttäytyä, käyttäytyä (kunnolla)
- käyttäytyäto act in a specific manner
- käyttäytyä (kunnolla)to act in a polite or proper way
- olla kunnollato act in a polite or proper way
- olla ihmisiksito act in a polite or proper way
French se comporter
- se comporterto act in a specific manner
German sich benehmen, sich verhalten
- sich benehmento act in a specific manner
- sich verhaltento act in a specific manner
- sich benehmento act in a polite or proper way
Hebrew הִתְנַהֵג
- הִתְנַהֵג (hitnahég)to act in a specific manner
Hindi आचरण करना, बर्ताव करना
- आचरण करना (ācraṇ karnā)to act in a specific manner
- बर्ताव करना (bartāv karnā)to act in a specific manner
- व्यवहार करना (vyavhār karnā)to act in a specific manner
- पेश आना (peś ānā)to act in a specific manner
Hungarian viselkedik, viselkedik
- viselkedikto act in a specific manner
- viselkedikto act in a polite or proper way
Icelandic haga sér, hegða sér
- haga sérto act in a specific manner
- hegða sérto act in a specific manner
- haga sérto act in a polite or proper way
Irish tú féin a iompar, bheith múinte
- tú féin a iomparto act in a specific manner
- bheith múinteto act in a polite or proper way
Italian comportarsi, agire
- comportarsito act in a specific manner
- agireto act in a specific manner
- comportarsi beneto act in a polite or proper way
Japanese 振る舞う, 行動する
- 振る舞う (furumau)to act in a specific manner
- 行動する (kōdō suru)to act in a specific manner
- 行儀がよい (gyōgi ga yoi)to act in a polite or proper way
Korean 처신하다, 행동하다
- 처신하다 (cheosinhada)to act in a specific manner
- 행동하다 (haengdonghada)to act in a specific manner
- 예절바르다 (yejeolbareuda)to act in a polite or proper way
- 예절바르게 행동하다 (yejeolbareuge haengdonghada)to act in a polite or proper way
- 몸가짐이 얌전하다 (momgajimi yamjeonhada)to act in a polite or proper way
Latin ago
- agoto act in a specific manner
Latvian uzvesties
- uzvestiesto act in a specific manner
Lithuanian elgtis
- elgtisto act in a specific manner
Malay bersikap
- bersikapto act in a specific manner
Norwegian Bokmål oppføre seg
- oppføre segto act in a specific manner
Persian رفتار کردن, مؤدب بودن
- رفتار کردن (raftâr kardan)to act in a specific manner
- مؤدب بودن (mo'addab budan)to act in a polite or proper way
Polish zachowywać się, zachować się
- zachowywać sięto act in a specific manner
- zachować sięto act in a specific manner
- postępowaćto act in a specific manner
- postąpićto act in a specific manner
Portuguese comportar-se, comportar-se
- comportar-seto act in a specific manner
- comportar-seto act in a polite or proper way
Romanian se purta, se comporta
- se purtato act in a specific manner
- se comportato act in a specific manner
Russian вести́ себя́, поступа́ть
- вести́ себя́ (vestí sebjá)to act in a specific manner
- поступа́ть (postupátʹ)to act in a specific manner
- поступи́ть (postupítʹ)to act in a specific manner
- вести́ себя́ пра́вильно (vestí sebjá právilʹno)to act in a polite or proper way
- вести́ себя́ хорошо́ (vestí sebjá xorošó)to act in a polite or proper way
Slovak správať sa, správať sa
- správať sato act in a specific manner
- správať sato act in a polite or proper way
Spanish portarse, comportarse
- portarseto act in a specific manner
- comportarseto act in a polite or proper way
Swedish uppföra sig, bete sig
- uppföra sigto act in a specific manner
- bete sigto act in a specific manner
- sköta sigto act in a polite or proper way
Thai ประพฤติ, ทำตัว
- ประพฤติ (bprà-prʉ́t)to act in a specific manner
- ทำตัว (tam-dtuua)to act in a specific manner
- ทำตัวดีto act in a polite or proper way
- สำรวมกิริยาto act in a polite or proper way
Turkish davranmak, düzgün davranmak
- davranmakto act in a specific manner
- düzgün davranmakto act in a polite or proper way
- terbiyeli davranmakto act in a polite or proper way
- görgülü davranmakto act in a polite or proper way
- terbiyeli olmakto act in a polite or proper way
- terbiyesini takınmakto act in a polite or proper way
- edebini takınmakto act in a polite or proper way
Ukrainian пово́дитися, вести́ себе́
- пово́дитися (povódytysja)to act in a specific manner
- вести́ себе́ (vestý sebé)to act in a specific manner
- поступа́ти (postupáty)to act in a specific manner
- поступи́ти (postupýty)to act in a specific manner
Urdu پیش آنا, برتاؤ کرنا
- پیش آنا (peś ānā)to act in a specific manner
- برتاؤ کرنا (bartāv karnā)to act in a specific manner
Vietnamese cư xử
- cư xửto act in a specific manner
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with behave
Cite this entry
behave. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/behave
“behave.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/behave. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “behave,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/behave.
Source: behave on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.