behaves

Definition of behavesnext
present tense third-person singular of behave
as in carries
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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of behaves Everyone else around them has matured and behaves in an age-appropriate manner. Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 31 Jan. 2026 It could be quantized and continuous instead, which would align with the fluid explanation, but whether fluid or particle, there are three possibilities for how dark matter behaves. Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026 Why Tokenized Gold Works When Other RWAs Don’t Tokenized gold is one of the few RWA categories that consistently behaves like a crypto-native trading instrument. Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026 Hollywood often behaves as if inclusive casting is a gamble. Gloria Calderon Kellett, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2026 Your brain behaves in a similar way. Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, The Conversation, 23 Jan. 2026 Metal behaves like waves The Vienna team, led by Markus Arndt and Stefan Gerlich, demonstrated quantum interference in metallic nanoparticles for the first time. Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 22 Jan. 2026 However, if the prisoner behaves poorly, their level will be dropped. Ashlynd Baecht, The Frontier, 6 Jan. 2026 The New Science of Metabolic Influence Emerging university research suggests that metabolic health may quietly influence how the hair cycle behaves. Connie Etemadi, Miami Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for behaves
Verb
  • In season eight, that impulse carries Mallozzi from the shores of Cuba to the interior mountains of Taiwan and the heart of New Zealand’s Māori communities.
    Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2026
  • In other words, every ending carries the promise of expansion.
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • To fit all listening scenarios, like all DALI loudspeakers, KUPID also acquits itself at low and high volumes.
    Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
  • McKinley acquits himself capably enough with the few complex action set pieces, notably when a tattered rope bridge across a deep gorge requires enterprising thinking and physical endangerment of Murphy.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Verb
  • SpaceX conducts many of its own rocket launches, most using the Falcon 9 rocket, from California and Florida.
    Eric Lagatta, AZCentral.com, 30 Jan. 2026
  • The Coast Guard said Polar Star conducts annual missions to McMurdo Station in Antarctica as part of Operation Deep Freeze, breaking through miles of ice that can reach up to 21 feet thick.
    Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Unlike end-of-life recycling plants, the CRCC primarily handles unused cells and residues from pilot production.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
  • ChatGPT handles the thinking work that used to require a whole team.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Sharon Udoh Udoh composes, writes and improvises hymns.
    Ruby Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
  • The episode Art was created by Lily Whear and Lizzie Younan composes our music.
    Gabriela Saldivia, Scientific American, 3 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • According to projections made at the December meeting, that’s only about half a percentage point from the committee consensus on the neutral rate, or one that neither supports nor restrains growth.
    Jeff Cox, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2026
  • There are also possible free speech claims if the law restrains NIL opportunities and interferes with First Amendment freedom of expression.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • Though Proust never came to Ireland, his own work also contains echoes of Irish history and culture that epitomize its polymathic, cosmopolitan spirit.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
  • Others on the right have been critical of Bad Bunny’s music catalogue, which exclusively contains Spanish songs.
    Sandra Gonzalez, CNN Money, 2 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Behaves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/behaves. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.

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