as in to carry
to manage the actions of (oneself) in a particular way
if the children behave themselves properly and sit quietly during church, they'll get their ice cream afterward
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of behave
For years, people have offered anecdotes that Trump behaves online like some isolated, elderly people who have been radicalized by their social-media feeds—in 2017, Stephen Colbert memorably likened Trump to America’s first racist grandpa.
—
Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 22 July 2025
The word for how the Florida officials involved in this are behaving, and certainly the Trump Administration officials, is gleeful.
—Erin Neil, New Yorker, 17 July 2025
The white mushroom filaments behaved like rubber bands, averaging about 18 megapascals in stiffness – similar to natural rubber.
—Mohamed Khalil Elhachimi, The Conversation, 16 July 2025
Everyone is behaving more or less like themselves, except for Jeremiah, who is behaving like Conrad at his most sullen.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for behave
Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 22 July 2025
The word for how the Florida officials involved in this are behaving, and certainly the Trump Administration officials, is gleeful.
—Erin Neil, New Yorker, 17 July 2025
The white mushroom filaments behaved like rubber bands, averaging about 18 megapascals in stiffness – similar to natural rubber.
—Mohamed Khalil Elhachimi, The Conversation, 16 July 2025
Everyone is behaving more or less like themselves, except for Jeremiah, who is behaving like Conrad at his most sullen.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for behave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for behave
Verb
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Just inside the doors of the employee entrance to Ford Motor Co.'s Dearborn Truck Plant is a scoreboard that looms high above a double set of steep stairs that carry the 3,600 employees up to the factory floor where the company builds its best-selling vehicle: the F-150 pickup.—
Jamie L. LaReau,
Freep.com,
30 July 2025
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But another bill, HB 3520 by Rep. David Spiller, R-Jacksboro, to lessen the amount of liability insurance coverage rideshare drivers need to carry, took up a whole lot more time.—
John C. Moritz,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
Verb
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As well, the players were acquitted of the very serious criminal charges.—
Eric Macramalla,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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Brendon's mother, 21-year-old Sophie Staddon, was acquitted of a lesser charge of causing or allowing the death of a child, per the outlets.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
People.com,
24 July 2025
Verb
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The Chinese vessels discussed above are civilian vessels, and international law would forbid them from conducting military survey operations.—
Jill Goldenziel,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
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Researchers conducted cognitive assessments of the participants during clinic visits at baseline and every six months for two years.—
Jillian Frankel,
People.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The next court hearing, Dugan said, could be handled over Zoom.—
Daniel Bice,
jsonline.com,
30 July 2025
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Luckily, Renna’s boys handle motion sickness on amusement park rides better than their dad’s alter ego, Ham.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
29 July 2025
Verb
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Video posted to social media by a passenger showed law enforcement escorting a man off the plane with his hands restrained behind his back.—
Aaron Cooper,
CNN Money,
18 July 2025
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Farrell was then restrained by crew members and escorted off stage.—
Michaela Zee,
Variety,
16 July 2025
Verb
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Part of the reason for this is that LLMs make use of statistics and probabilities when selecting the words for the response being composed.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
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Coalition districts are predominantly composed of minority voters who tend to vote together.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 July 2025
Verb
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This post contains minor spoilers for Happy Gilmore 2. Nearly 30 years ago, Christopher McDonald left an indelible mark on pop culture with his performance as smarmy professional golfer Shooter McGavin in the 1996 sports comedy classic Happy Gilmore.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
25 July 2025
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The initial headline in the story contained incorrect information .—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Behave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/behave. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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