as in instructions
a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned
I only made the change at the author's behest
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for behests
Noun
-
Road closures remain in place Road closures continue across portions of Echols and Clinch counties near the Pineland Road fire, and officials are urging drivers to follow all barricades and instructions from law enforcement.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
4 May 2026 -
The American Frugal Housewife (1829), A Treatise on Domestic Economy (1842), and The American Woman’s Home (1869) offered instructions on everything from bread-baking to furniture to babies, all wrapped up with a submit-to-your-husband bow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
My worry is edicts from Hartford.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
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While many edicts are necessary to protect public safety, many more are redundant, wasteful and anti-competitive, piling on unnecessary costs and stymieing innovation.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Unwilling to take orders or play by the rules of polite society, the two partner up as a bookmaker and his enforcer and run an illicit gambling operation that proves highly profitable — but dangerous.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
4 May 2026
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Commanders in the special forces are not taught to simply issue orders; that’d rob them of the initiative and ownership that’s essential to rapidly changing, high-stakes environments.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Rejections and reversals of prior directives at the FDA division responsible for reviewing cell and gene therapies have destabilized the already shaky footing of this field.—
Ed Silverman,
STAT,
6 May 2026
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Under directives from President Hosni Mubarak, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) withdrew routing data, and disabled key network infrastructure within two hours.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Staff were stationed throughout, giving runners directions, passing out water and cheering us on.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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Regular service on the Tehran–Moscow route will operate on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays in both directions, IRNA reported, citing officials with Mahan Air.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Consider these our contemporary cupcake commandments, illustrated by three new recipes that are, as Carrie would say, fabulous.—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
28 Apr. 2026
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Copying them carefully, Mary Kay took his catchphrases as commandments.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Behests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/behests. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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