misbehave
verb
mis·be·have
ˌmis-bi-ˈhāv 
-bē-
misbehaved; misbehaving
1
a
transitive
: to conduct (oneself) badly or improperly
students who frequently misbehave themselves in class
b
intransitive
: to behave with poor manners or a lack of courtesy
He worried about the decline of family discipline, about the fact that local youth went out walking after dark, wasted time in levity, misbehaved in church.—
Tracy Kidder
Tracy Kidder
c
intransitive
: to behave with disregard for accepted moral standards especially in sexual matters
known for misbehaving with numerous women
d
intransitive
of a member of the armed forces
: to behave before or in the presence of the enemy in a way that does not conform to military standards or practice
… has been charged with desertion and misbehaving before the enemy …—Dan Lamothe
Dan Lamothe2
intransitive
: to behave in an unexpected or unwelcome way
After five floods in four years, people in Liberty County are used to seeing the Trinity River misbehave.—Adam Nossiter
Adam Nossiter
misbehaver
noun
plural misbehavers
misbehavers in the classroom
Examples of misbehave in a Sentence
scolded the children for misbehaving and sent them to bed early
Recent Examples on the Web
The consequence would repeat itself if her kids kept misbehaving.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
One misbehaving app, too many open browser tabs, or background process can bring an otherwise healthy system to its knees.
—Ken Colburn, AZCentral.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Stevie wasn’t misbehaving or even playing with toys to occupy herself.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
According to the district, the student was brought to the office after misbehaving in class.
—Giles Hudson, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misbehave
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
One misbehaving app, too many open browser tabs, or background process can bring an otherwise healthy system to its knees.
—Ken Colburn, AZCentral.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Stevie wasn’t misbehaving or even playing with toys to occupy herself.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
According to the district, the student was brought to the office after misbehaving in class.
—Giles Hudson, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misbehave
Cite this Entry
“Misbehave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misbehave. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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