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Behest is an ancient word: it is almost a thousand years old. It was formed from the prefix be- and the verb hātan ("to command" or "to promise"), and its Old English ancestor was used exclusively in the sense of "promise," a now-obsolete meaning that continued on in Middle English especially in the phrase "the land of behest." The "command" meaning of behest is also ancient but it's still in good use, typically referring to an authoritative order. Behest is now also used with a less weighty meaning; it can refer to an urgent prompting, as in "a repeat performance at the behest of the troupe's fans."
Examples of behest in a Sentence
Holly Ramer, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2025
The venture into livestreaming is part of an effort by major Chinese tech companies, at the behest of Beijing, to help exporters redirect their goods to the domestic market.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 28 Apr. 2025
Full Story Democratic energy regulator steps down after White House request
Willie Phillips, a Democratic member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), has stepped down — apparently at the behest of the White House.
—Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 22 Apr. 2025
Washington is in a tizzy over Donald Trump's sweeping assertions of executive power, often at the behest of Elon Musk, an influential private citizen who decidedly lacks public office.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for behest
Cite this Entry
“Behest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behest. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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behest
noun
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