as in to disobey
to behave badly
scolded the children for misbehaving and sent them to bed early
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Recent Examples of misbehave
When your child misbehaves, rewards might be the last thing on your mind.
—
Amy Morin, Parents, 1 Apr. 2026
Recommended reading: In our new special issue, a Wall Street legend gets a radical makeover, a tale of crypto iniquity, misbehaving poultry royalty, and more.
Read the stories.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
This can lead to stress, perfectionist tendencies, and feeling not good enough when the other sibs inevitably misbehave.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Lawrence is hoping fans of both teams treat it as a special sporting event and do not misbehave.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misbehave
Amy Morin, Parents, 1 Apr. 2026
Recommended reading: In our new special issue, a Wall Street legend gets a radical makeover, a tale of crypto iniquity, misbehaving poultry royalty, and more.
Read the stories.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
This can lead to stress, perfectionist tendencies, and feeling not good enough when the other sibs inevitably misbehave.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Lawrence is hoping fans of both teams treat it as a special sporting event and do not misbehave.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misbehave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misbehave
Verb
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The department’s internal affairs unit was investigating Saulter on allegations of falsifying time sheets, disobeying a direct order and failing to properly report part-time employment, according to the letter.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 May 2026
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Authorities last August removed Dodik from the post of the president and temporarily banned him from politics for disobeying Schmidt's decisions.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Jane rebelled against Marge’s efforts to manage her choices, especially on whom to date.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
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Embracing a visual vocabulary of the lowbrow and the rudimentary is a tried-and-true method of rebelling against a culture that feels vapid or corporatized.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misbehave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misbehave. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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