verb

behave

to behave

The children behaved well at the party.

The children behaved well at the party.

You need to behave yourself.

You need to behave yourself.

The machine is behaving strangely.

The machine is behaving strangely.

to behave ((adverb)) to act in a particular way She behaved bravely.

to behave oneself to act in a polite or correct way Please behave yourself in the library.

Synonyms: act, conduct oneself

From the prefix 'be-' and the verb 'have'. It refers to how one 'has' or conducts oneself.

Think of it as 'be' + 'have'. How you 'have' yourself is how you behave. If you 'misbehave', you have yourself in a bad way.

This page is designed for learning support. Please use it as a learning reference, not as a formal reference.