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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Recent Examples of behaves
The founder’s role is evolving from chief decision maker to chief architect, someone who designs the systems, encodes the values, and governs the trajectories that determine how an organization behaves at scale.
—
Rhett Power, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
That will affect how El Niño behaves.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 16 May 2026
This created a plasma that behaves like an oscillating mirror, and subsequent lasers hitting it are like hitting a mirror moving toward you at nearly the speed of light.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 14 May 2026
The result is a condition that behaves less like an isolated skin issue and more like a chronic disease that requires long-term management.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 6 May 2026
The Manchester physicists wanted to know why a full can behaves this way.
—ArsTechnica, 2 May 2026
Also claims its e-bikes can do it all by swapping out a few key components and pressing a button, so the bike behaves differently depending on the day’s needs.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
In other words, the cell behaves like a nanocomputer and a genome behaves like software.
—Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2026
Investors, customers and the public remember how a company or ecosystem behaves in moments of stress or opportunity.
—Melissa Jun Rowley, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2026
Rhett Power, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
That will affect how El Niño behaves.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 16 May 2026
This created a plasma that behaves like an oscillating mirror, and subsequent lasers hitting it are like hitting a mirror moving toward you at nearly the speed of light.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 14 May 2026
The result is a condition that behaves less like an isolated skin issue and more like a chronic disease that requires long-term management.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 6 May 2026
The Manchester physicists wanted to know why a full can behaves this way.
—ArsTechnica, 2 May 2026
Also claims its e-bikes can do it all by swapping out a few key components and pressing a button, so the bike behaves differently depending on the day’s needs.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
In other words, the cell behaves like a nanocomputer and a genome behaves like software.
—Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2026
Investors, customers and the public remember how a company or ecosystem behaves in moments of stress or opportunity.
—Melissa Jun Rowley, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for behaves
Verb
-
His remarks amplified on his long-running view that US clout is waning against China’s, a perspective that carries weight because of his experience in China with Bridgewater, the world’s largest hedge fund — experience that has brought some criticism over his links to leaders in Beijing.—
David Westin,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
-
Surgeries, skin graft, and years of rehab For 28-year-old Jessica Aguilar, every mile carries extra meaning, because making it to the starting line is a victory.—
Hannah Kliger,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
Verb
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In the proud lineage of pint-sized blonde women who’ve held their own against Madonna, Carpenter acquits herself quite well.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
1 May 2026
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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
Verb
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Wendy Saladyga, a fabric care expert at Henkel, conducts technical research to test detergent efficacy against different stains on various fabrics and materials.—
Katie Cloyd,
Martha Stewart,
15 May 2026
-
To meet expectations in a fast-growing region, Mecklenburg County conducts a revaluation every four years.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Charlotte Observer,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Downstairs at The Landing, the Food Hall handles the group's picky eaters with pizza, burgers, and wraps, all without a reservation.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
19 May 2026
-
Ask how the platform handles episodic memory (what happened, with replay), semantic memory grounded in the ontology (so meaning does not drift between agents) and procedural memory expressed as versioned, testable skills and MCP tools.—
Shailesh Manjrekar,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Her capriciousness leads her into an affair with a frustrated professor, Mark (Michael Angarano), who compliments her writing and composes pretentious, backhandedly insulting poems about their not-quite-love.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
15 Apr. 2026
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The group composes its own sacred music, lilting songs that prompt women in green-and-white wraparounds to vigorously shake their bodies.—
Rodney Muhumuza,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At certain points in the novel, that distance calcifies and restrains his writing.—
Taran Dugal,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
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And most of the officials agreed that the Fed’s key rate is close to a level that neither stimulates nor restrains the economy.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The grain contains avenanthramides, which are antioxidants found exclusively in oats, says Coogan.—
Kirsten Nunez,
Martha Stewart,
17 May 2026
-
Wallace Chan’s Secular Interpretation of Religious Rituals Oil and water play central roles in the installation, which, like many of Chan’s creations, contains layered meanings.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Behaves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/behaves. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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