behave
English · Thesaurus
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behave
- /bᵻˈheɪv/ UK
- /bɪˈheɪv/ US
- /bi-/ US
- /bə-/ US
Rhymes with -eɪv
Where it comes from
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”).
verb behaves · behaving · behaved · behave
- To conduct (oneself) well, or in a given way; to conform. You need to behave yourself, young lady.
- To act, conduct oneself in a specific manner; used with an adverbial of manner. He behaves like a child whenever she's around.
- To conduct, manage, regulate (something). He did behave his anger ere 'twas spent.
- To act in a polite or proper way. His mother threatened to spank him if he didn't behave.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: deport, conduct, comport, acquit, do, carry, act, bear, obey, operate, wise, consist, involve, treat, drive, entail
Translations
Every language
verb to act in a specific manner
| Español | portarse |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 처신하다 cheosinhada, 행동하다 haengdonghada |
| 日本語 | 振る舞う furumau, 行動する kōdō suru |
| 中文 | 為人 /为人 wéirén |
| हिन्दी | आचरण करना ācraṇ karnā, बर्ताव करना bartāv karnā, व्यवहार करना vyavhār karnā, पेश आना peś ānā |
| Português | comportar-se |
| Français | se comporter |
| Deutsch | sich benehmen, sich verhalten |
| Italiano | comportarsi, agire |
| Română | se purta, se comporta |
| Русский | вести́ себя́ vestí sebjá, поступа́ть postupátʹ, поступи́ть postupítʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | cư xử |
| العربية | تَصَرَّفَ taṣarrafa |
| עברית | הִתְנַהֵג hitnahég |
verb to act in a polite or proper way
| Español | comportarse |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 예절바르다 yejeolbareuda, 예절바르게 행동하다 yejeolbareuge haengdonghada, 몸가짐이 얌전하다 momgajimi yamjeonhada |
| 日本語 | 行儀がよい gyōgi ga yoi |
| 中文 | 做人 zuòrèn, 舉動 /举动 jǔdòng |
| Português | comportar-se |
| Deutsch | sich benehmen |
| Italiano | comportarsi bene |
| Русский | вести́ себя́ пра́вильно vestí sebjá právilʹno, вести́ себя́ хорошо́ vestí sebjá xorošó |
| العربية | تَصَرَّفَ بِشَكْل taṣarrafa bišakl, مُؤَدَّب muʔaddab |
Talk about this word "behave." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/behave. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. behave. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/behave "behave." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/behave.Cite this
@misc{behave_2026,
title = {behave},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/behave},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
