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
Michael B. G. Froman, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2025
In the most heightened of these interventions, the two of them, both very good at behaving badly, turn their own rage against each other.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2025
Usually, a concerned parent or caregiver who may or may not know an infant has been injured becomes concerned that the child is not behaving normally.
—Lori Frasier, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2025
Teaching us the valor to start a new way of being and behaving.
—Colin Bedell, Them, 14 Mar. 2025
The best ideas are the ones that emanate organically from the characters, like the stiff-legged dancing styles of the Scarecrow and the Tinman or the denizens of the Emerald City behaving like oblivious clubgoers at an all-night dance party.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2025
These skills are vital for behaving well in class and building strong connections with classmates and teachers.
—Rachelle Rutherford, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
In any case, most of these claims have involved quantum computers that weren't solving any particular algorithm, but rather simply behaving like a quantum computer.
—Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 12 Mar. 2025
An owner who meddles with news coverage, especially to further personal interests, is behaving unethically.
—Ruth Marcus, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
Instead of China coming to resemble the United States, the United States is behaving more like China.
—Michael B. G. Froman, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2025
In the most heightened of these interventions, the two of them, both very good at behaving badly, turn their own rage against each other.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2025
Usually, a concerned parent or caregiver who may or may not know an infant has been injured becomes concerned that the child is not behaving normally.
—Lori Frasier, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2025
Teaching us the valor to start a new way of being and behaving.
—Colin Bedell, Them, 14 Mar. 2025
The best ideas are the ones that emanate organically from the characters, like the stiff-legged dancing styles of the Scarecrow and the Tinman or the denizens of the Emerald City behaving like oblivious clubgoers at an all-night dance party.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2025
These skills are vital for behaving well in class and building strong connections with classmates and teachers.
—Rachelle Rutherford, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
In any case, most of these claims have involved quantum computers that weren't solving any particular algorithm, but rather simply behaving like a quantum computer.
—Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 12 Mar. 2025
An owner who meddles with news coverage, especially to further personal interests, is behaving unethically.
—Ruth Marcus, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for behaving
Verb
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The SpaceX Dragon vehicle carrying the four spacefarers selected for a mission known as Crew-10 successfully docked at the orbital outpost about 28 hours after launching from Florida.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA TODAY,
16 Mar. 2025
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But Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra insists the ethos remains, even at times such as these, with his team carrying a seven-game losing streak and 29-38 record into Monday night’s game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This means shifting from a reactive to a proactive stance, conducting regular assessments of organizational defenses and creating an environment where proactively addressing the root causes of human and organizational problems is encouraged and rewarded.—
Rob De La Espriella,
Forbes,
6 Jan. 2025
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The office for State Attorney Phil Archer, who oversees prosecutions in Seminole County, confirmed the office is not conducting its own investigation.—
Claire Healy,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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An orderly Italian known for his precision and Alpine reserve against a passionate Spaniard.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
29 June 2025
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The streets were clean, well lit, and—traffic aside—surprisingly orderly.—
Kian Tajbakhsh,
The Atlantic,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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The scale asks whether a respondent tends to prefer children who are obedient, well behaved and well mannered or children who are independent, creative and considerate.—
Adam Eichen,
The Conversation,
11 June 2025
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Those who tend to favor obedient children are scored as having more authoritarian views.—
Adam Eichen,
The Conversation,
11 June 2025
Verb
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After restraining Neely that day, Penny remained on scene when police arrived and later explained his actions to several NYPD officers.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN,
10 Dec. 2024
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Prosecutors have said Penny acted recklessly and negligently by restraining Neely in a chokehold for so long, even after Neely stopped moving.—
Gloria Pazmino,
CNN,
9 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Seriously, had our honorable horror maestro taken a terrible tumble while composing the latest Goosebumps book?—
Mitch Wallace,
Forbes,
2 Jan. 2025
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Consider using two hands to steady the monocular or use surrounding objects like fences or walls to lean against while composing your image.—
Matt Morris,
Space.com,
27 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Behaving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/behaving. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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