Link Centre Dictionary

behave

be·have

UK/bᵻˈheɪv/ US/bɪˈheɪv/ common

verb

1.

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

  • “You should act like an adult”
  • “Don”
  • “;”
  • “;”
Synonyms
2.

behave in a certain manner

  • “She carried herself well”
  • “he bore himself with dignity”
  • “They conducted themselves well during these difficult times”
Synonyms
3.

behave well or properly

  • “The children must learn to behave”
Synonyms
Antonyms

Origin

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.

Phrases

  • behave oneself

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Related verbs

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.