behave
[verb]
Synonyms:
- act, function, operate, perform, run, work
- conduct oneself properly, act correctly, keep one's nose clean, mind one's manners

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Antonyms: misbehave, misconduct
Related Idioms: make as if (or as though), be on one's best behavior, mind one's p's and q's
Related Words: control, direct, manage

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English Thesaurus: behave, act, treat, conform, conduct yourself, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

be‧have S3 W3 /bɪˈheɪv/ verb [intransitive]
[Word Family: noun: BEHAVIOUR/BEHAVIOR, MISBEHAVIOUR/MISBEHAVIOR, BEHAVIOURISM/BEHAVIORISM, BEHAVIOURIST/BEHAVIORIST; verb: behave, misbehave; adverb: BEHAVIOURALLY/BEHAVIORALLY; adjective: BEHAVIOURAL/BEHAVIORAL]
[Date: 1400-1500; Origin: have 'to hold or bear (yourself), behave' (14-16 centuries)]

1. [always + adverb/preposition] to do things that are good, bad, sensible etc Synonym : act:
She behaved in a very responsible way.
behave towards
I think he behaved disgracefully towards you.
behave like
grown men behaving like schoolboys
behave as if/though
He was a little boy, but he behaved as if he was an adult.

2. (also behave yourself) to not do things that annoy or offend people Antonym : misbehave:
Will you children please behave!
I hope Nicholas behaved himself at the party.
well-behaved/badly-behaved
a badly-behaved class

3. [always + adverb/preposition] if something behaves in a particular way, it does those things:
Quantum mechanics is the study of the way atoms behave.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

behave
verb
ADV. impeccably, perfectly, well | aggressively, badly, disgracefully, outrageously Children who behave badly are rejecting adult values.
appropriately, correctly, properly, responsibly The enquiry investigated whether officers had behaved correctly.
improperly, irresponsibly | rationally, reasonably | stupidly, unreasonably | normally | oddly, out of character, strangely, suspiciously | accordingly Children, if they are used to being treated with respect, will behave accordingly.
naturally the freedom to behave naturally
PREP. as if/though He behaved as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
like Stop behaving like a three-year-old!
towards He had always behaved in a friendly manner towards us.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

behave
verb
BAD: The magazine teaches parents how to behave with their children.
GOOD: The magazine teaches parents how to behave towards their children.

Usage Note:
behave towards sb (NOT with ): 'I've been noting the way he behaves towards you and I'm not impressed.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

behave to do and say things that are good, bad, normal, strange etc:
His teacher said he’d been behaving badly at school.
I’m not going to talk to her until she starts behaving reasonably.
Oh, be quiet! You’re behaving like a two-year-old.
act to behave in a particular way, especially in a way that seems unusual, surprising, or annoying to other people:
Tina’s been acting very strangely lately.
What makes grown people act like that?
treat to behave towards someone or deal with someone in a particular way:
She said that he’d treated her really badly throughout their two-year marriage.
I’m sick of my parents treating me like a child.
conform to behave in the way that most other people in your group or society behave:
Young people sometimes want to rebel and therefore they refuse to conform.
Society typically brings pressure on individuals and groups to conform to civilised norms.
conduct yourself formal to behave in a particular way, especially in a situation where people will notice and judge the way you behave:
Public figures have a duty to conduct themselves responsibly, even in their private lives.
By the end of the course, you should be able to conduct yourself with confidence in any meeting.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲