as in to disobey
to behave badly
scolded the children for misbehaving and sent them to bed early
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Recent Examples of misbehave
Monitor battery and data usage Check for unusual battery or data consumption, which can indicate malicious or misbehaving apps.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Over the course of two days, the teams identified 139 novel ways to get the systems to misbehave including by generating misinformation or leaking personal data.
—Will Knight, Wired News, 6 Aug. 2025
Rational participants are thus economically deterred from misbehaving.
—Ali Faizan Rizvi, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Plus, both Kenzari and costar Luca Marinelli couldn't stop laughing at the bloody prosthetic thumb, which misbehaved.
—EW.com, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for misbehave
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Over the course of two days, the teams identified 139 novel ways to get the systems to misbehave including by generating misinformation or leaking personal data.
—Will Knight, Wired News, 6 Aug. 2025
Rational participants are thus economically deterred from misbehaving.
—Ali Faizan Rizvi, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Plus, both Kenzari and costar Luca Marinelli couldn't stop laughing at the bloody prosthetic thumb, which misbehaved.
—EW.com, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for misbehave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misbehave
Verb
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Washington made the move over Petro’s participation in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York City, as well as his call for US troops deployed in American cities to disobey orders.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
2 Oct. 2025
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Along with allied criminal groups, the syndicate’s crimes led to the deaths of 10 people who disobeyed the group’s management or tried to escape the compounds, according to the Chinese court’s statement.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By the early post-World War II period, the demographic cohort most likely to rebel against authority—namely, youth—had been molded by Soviet institutions in which the revolutionary teachings of Marxism-Leninism had achieved the status of sacred canon.—
Benjamin Nathans
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
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Set after the Norman invasion of England, Rob (Patten) witnesses the execution of his father, a Saxon forester, which incites him to rebel.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Misbehave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misbehave. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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