as in edict
a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned
I only made the change at the author's behest
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of behest
In February, Mayor Harrell, at the behest of local heavies such as Amazon and Microsoft, led the opposition to a referendum on another tax on those companies which would help pay for public, mixed-income housing in a city that desperately needs it.
—
Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
Based on the 1955 novel of the same name by lesbian novelist Patricia Highsmith, Ripley finds the titular character traveling to Italy to convince wealthy heir Dickie Greenleaf to return home at his wealthy family’s behest.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 23 Sep. 2025
Bosa normally works out on his own in the offseason, but at the behest of Shanahan was a willing participant in the offseason program as the 49ers looked to rebound from a 6-11 record.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
Her family came to the United States in 1979 at the behest of her husband’s company.
—Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for behest
Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
Based on the 1955 novel of the same name by lesbian novelist Patricia Highsmith, Ripley finds the titular character traveling to Italy to convince wealthy heir Dickie Greenleaf to return home at his wealthy family’s behest.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 23 Sep. 2025
Bosa normally works out on his own in the offseason, but at the behest of Shanahan was a willing participant in the offseason program as the 49ers looked to rebound from a 6-11 record.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
Her family came to the United States in 1979 at the behest of her husband’s company.
—Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for behest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for behest
Noun
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The edict also created mass confusion and even panic among current H-1B holders and employers, thanks to conflicting statements from the White House.—
Senior Reporter,
PC Magazine,
22 Sep. 2025
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The edict is also risky, potentially giving viewers the sense that Brennan is less able to question or challenge her guests — one of the main elements of TV’s Sunday political shows that bring viewers to them in the first place.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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That meant Vince and Ashley would face off in part 2, a contest that would end in an explosive outburst after Vince did not properly read the instructions.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Sep. 2025
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Where rookie pilots panicked in battle, Gabreski functioned like a robot, dispassionately following the instructions laid out in his military flight manuals.—
Angus Fletcher,
Big Think,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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One of the biggest areas of change in the last decade is related to associates that work in our stores, picking orders for delivery and pickup for our customers.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
28 Sep. 2025
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Patel denied at a congressional hearing last week taking orders from the White House on whom to fire and said anyone who has been fired failed to meet the FBI's standards.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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With both teams aiming to avoid a 1–3 start, this game presents an opportunity for one to gain momentum and establish a positive direction for the rest of the season.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Sep. 2025
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Don’t pull over in the roundabout Roundabouts with a single lane of traffic in each direction are fairly simple – yield to traffic in the roundabout, wait for a gap in traffic and go through, Bryson said.—
Eric D. Lawrence,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Its four main science directives, for decades, have brought to us a superior understanding of Earth science, heliophysics, planetary science, and astrophysics than ever before.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
1 Oct. 2025
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Rules of engagement are directives governing how and when force can be used by the military.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The court will decide whether to extend McElroy’s TRO into a longer preliminary injunction, which would keep the FEMA homeland security grants available while the case proceeds.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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Presumably, a similar injunction would issue if IEEPA were used to justify a movie tariff.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Behest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/behest. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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