9 results for: behave

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
be·have    Audio Help   [bi-heyv] Pronunciation Key verb, -haved, -hav·ing.
–verb (used without object)
1.to act in a particular way; conduct or comport oneself or itself: The ship behaves well.
2.to act properly: Did the child behave?
3.to act or react under given circumstances: This plastic behaves strangely under extreme heat or cold.
–verb (used with object)
4.to conduct or comport (oneself) in a proper manner: Sit quietly and behave yourself.

[Origin: 1400–50; late ME behaven (reflexive). See be-, have]

1. perform, acquit oneself, deport oneself.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
behave

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© 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
be·have    Audio Help   (bĭ-hāv')  Pronunciation Key 
v.   be·haved, be·hav·ing, be·haves

v.   intr.
    1. To conduct oneself in a specified way: The child behaved badly at the party.
    2. To conduct oneself in a proper way: I told the child to behave.
  1. To act, react, function, or perform in a particular way: This fabric behaves well even in hot weather.

v.   tr.
  1. To conduct (oneself) properly: Did you behave yourself at the party?
  2. To conduct (oneself) in a specified way: The witness behaved herself with great calmness.


[Middle English behaven : be-, be- + haven, to have; see have.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
behave 
c.1410, from be- intensive prefix + have in the sense of "to have or bear oneself in a particular way, comport." O.E. behabban meant "to contain." Behavior is 1490, from havour, altered (by influence of have) from aver, from O.Fr. aveir "to have." Behaviorism coined 1913 by U.S. psychologist John B. Watson (1878-1958).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
behave

verb
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
2. behave in a certain manner; "She carried herself well"; "he bore himself with dignity"; "They conducted themselves well during these difficult times" 
3. behave well or properly; "The children must learn to behave" [ant: misbehave

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version) - Cite This Source - Share This
behave1 [biˈheiv] verb
to act in a suitable way, to conduct oneself (well)
Example: If you come, you must behave (yourself); The child always behaves (himself) at his grandmother's.
Arabic: يسلك سلوكا حسنا، يَسْلُكُ سُلوكا حَسَنا، يَتَأدَّب
Chinese (Simplified): 举止端庄
Chinese (Traditional): 舉止端莊
Czech: chovat se slušně, *dobře
Danish: opføre sig ordentligt
Dutch: zich gedragen
Estonian: hästi käituma
Finnish: käyttäytyä (kunnolla)
French: (se) conduire bien
German: sich benehmen
Greek: συμπεριφέρομαι όπως πρέπει
Hungarian: viselkedik
Icelandic: haga sér
Indonesian: berkelakuan, *bersikap baik dan sopan
Italian: comportarsi
Japanese: 行儀よくする
Korean: 처신하다
Latvian: uzvesties
Lithuanian: elgtis kaip pridera, *tinkamai
Norwegian: oppføre seg skikkelig
Polish: zachowywać się
Portuguese (Brazil): comportar-se (bem)
Portuguese (Portugal): comportar-se
Romanian: a se purta frumos
Russian: вести себя хорошо
Slovak: dobre sa správať
Slovenian: lepo se vesti
Spanish: comportarse
Swedish: sköta sig
Turkish: terbiyeli olmak, uslu durmak
behave2 [biˈheiv] verb
to act or react
Example: He always behaves like a gentleman; Metals behave in different ways when heated.
Arabic: يَتَصَرَّف
Chinese (Simplified): 举动,表现
Chinese (Traditional): 舉動,表現
Czech: chovat se, reagovat
Danish: opføre sig
Dutch: zich gedragen
Estonian: käituma
Finnish: käyttäytyä
French: (se) comporter
German: sich verhalten
Greek: φέρομαι, αντιδρώ
Hungarian: viselkedik
Icelandic: hegða sér; bregðast við
Indonesian: bereaksi
Italian: comportarsi
Japanese: ふるまう
Korean: 작용하다, 반응을 보이다
Latvian: izturēties; reaģēt
Lithuanian: elgtis, reaguoti
Norwegian: oppføre seg, te seg
Polish: postępować, zachowywać się
Portuguese (Brazil): comportar-se
Portuguese (Portugal): reagir
Romanian: a se comporta
Russian: поступать; реагировать
Slovak: správať sa, reagovať
Slovenian: obnašati se
Spanish: comportarse
Swedish: uppföra sig
Turkish: davranmak, hareket etmek
See also: behaviour, well-, badly- behaved

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version), © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd.
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Main Entry: be·have
Pronunciation: bi-'hAv
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: be·haved;be·hav·ing
transitive senses
: to bear or conduct (oneself) in a particular way behave intransitive senses
: to act, function, or react in a particular way

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

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