as in carrying
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in behaved
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Recent Examples of behaving
Ed Lavandera, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Eilish has spoken out in the past about fans behaving inappropriately at concerts.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2025
But the department is not behaving like an agency that is simply winding down.
—Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 8 Oct. 2025
And yet the stock markets aren’t behaving as if there is a crisis.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
If your device is behaving strangely, taking action early is the best way to prevent deeper damage.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Arthur’s having a great night up to the moment Rafferty mentions that the Fenians are behaving themselves.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Moreover, those critics argue, a United States that is weaponizing interdependence and trying to coerce India is behaving, well, just like China.
—Tanvi Madan, Foreign Affairs, 24 Sep. 2025
Or behaving unpredictably and expecting acceptance.
—Lauren Rothery, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Every week provides viral moments captured on cellphones of sports fans behaving badly, often erupting into life-altering brawls and chaos.
—Ed Lavandera, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Eilish has spoken out in the past about fans behaving inappropriately at concerts.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2025
But the department is not behaving like an agency that is simply winding down.
—Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 8 Oct. 2025
And yet the stock markets aren’t behaving as if there is a crisis.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
If your device is behaving strangely, taking action early is the best way to prevent deeper damage.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Arthur’s having a great night up to the moment Rafferty mentions that the Fenians are behaving themselves.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Moreover, those critics argue, a United States that is weaponizing interdependence and trying to coerce India is behaving, well, just like China.
—Tanvi Madan, Foreign Affairs, 24 Sep. 2025
Or behaving unpredictably and expecting acceptance.
—Lauren Rothery, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for behaving
Verb
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It is deployed on Type 094 (Jin-class) submarines, each carrying up to 12 missiles, with six Jin-class submarines currently in service.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Oct. 2025
-
The story centers on a man who travels to Pontianak carrying his deceased sister’s remains, hoping to honor her dying wishes while tracking down the father who deserted them.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The first jury, by contrast, deliberated for days before acquitting Amiri of conspiracy, multiple deprivation-of-rights charges and convicting him of the single dog attack and records falsification.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Jury leans toward convicting Sweet and brother Harry for manslaughter and acquitting everyone else, but can't reach unanimous verdicts.—
NEAL RUBIN,
Freep.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In a statement on Friday, the Chinese Embassy in Chile said that China strengthens supervision of the country's deep-sea fishing by conducting 24-hour monitoring of its vessels and requiring them to report their positions hourly, far exceeding international standards.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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Analysts say the development positions China among the few nations capable of conducting long-range ground combat.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Other reforms introduced under Roosevelt included the founding of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which had a mandate to protect investors and maintain fair and orderly markets, and the federal insurance of bank deposits, which ended a calamitous wave of bank runs.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
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War would also mean no deliberate, orderly transfer of some 12,000 Islamic State detainees from Kurdish to Syrian state prisons.—
Hassan Hassan,
Time,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Oct. 2025
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Don Lisi, Rogers Police Department spokesman, said police investigate cases involving virtual currency scams on a regular basis, and the department is currently handling a couple of such cases.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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There’s a difference, school leaders said, between building the confidence of girls, whom society expects to be obedient and agreeable, and building the confidence of boys, who get different societal messages.—
Melanie Asmar,
Denver Post,
5 Oct. 2025
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The Tyrell Corporation, a powerful company that created the replicants and profits from sending them to work on distant colonies, sees them as nothing more than obedient workers.—
Claire A. Simmers,
The Conversation,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The leather straps for restraining limbs are still there on opposite ends underneath stacks of paper.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Sep. 2025
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Darcy said that when a person is resisting officers, their knowledge of the person having pre-existing medical conditions is not enough to prevent them from restraining someone combative.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For Ares, Nine Inch Nails will be composing the soundtrack, bringing their iconic industrial rock sound to the Grid.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
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The difference is that composing while in motion may be a particularly useful way to address a crisis in creativity.—
Karen Palmer
September 19,
Literary Hub,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Behaving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/behaving. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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