as in to disobey
to behave badly
scolded the children for misbehaving and sent them to bed early
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of misbehave
Their kids may comply when watched but misbehave when unsupervised.
—
Jean M. Twenge, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2025
Disorders like tremors can be traced to specific misbehaving circuits in the brain, Munyon said while explaining the procedure.
—Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2025
The classic book series revolves a misbehaving class whose teacher is mysteriously absent from school one day.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 22 Sep. 2025
Lawrence is hoping fans of both teams treat it as a special sporting event and do not misbehave.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misbehave
Jean M. Twenge, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2025
Disorders like tremors can be traced to specific misbehaving circuits in the brain, Munyon said while explaining the procedure.
—Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2025
The classic book series revolves a misbehaving class whose teacher is mysteriously absent from school one day.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 22 Sep. 2025
Lawrence is hoping fans of both teams treat it as a special sporting event and do not misbehave.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misbehave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misbehave
Verb
-
Illinois State Police cited him on suspicion of disobeying a police officer – a petty offense punishable by a fine – Cook County court records show, and is scheduled to appear in court November 25.—
Nicquel Terry Ellis,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Harvick said the agency gave lawful orders for the crowd to move back, which were disobeyed.—
Daniella Silva,
NBC news,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Heather Darling from Chicago, Illinois, took to TikTok, posting under the handle @behind_da_pine, to share the ingenious way her daughter Eve has been able to rebel while still getting her reward.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The replimoids rebelled against their creators and have been hanging around ever since.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Misbehave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misbehave. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share