DictionaryAI

behaviour

noun
UKbi-HAY-vyuh/bɪˈheɪ.vjə(ɹ)/bi-HAY-vyer/bɪˈheɪ.vjɚ/

Pluralbehaviours

US spellingbehavior

4 meanings of behaviour

Practice

  1. 1
    how someone actsnouncountable or uncountable
    The way a person, animal or other living thing acts or responds, especially as observed or studied; also, any one action of this kind.

    The keepers noticed a change in the elephant's behaviour after the new calf arrived.

    His family grew worried about his behaviour, which had become quiet and withdrawn over the winter.

    UsageUsually behaviour with no a; researchers also count single actions: a learned behaviour, feeding behaviours.

    Similaractions, demeanour

  2. 2
    good or bad conductnoununcountable
    The way people conduct themselves, measured against the standards their society considers acceptable.

    The head teacher wrote to parents about pupils' behaviour on the school bus.

    Police have promised to crack down on antisocial behaviour in the town centre.

    UsageUsually with no a and no plural: good behaviour, antisocial behaviour, pupils' behaviour in class.

    Similarconduct, manners

  3. 3
    non-living thingsnoununcountable
    The way a machine, system, substance or other non-living thing acts or reacts, especially under particular conditions.

    Engineers are investigating the unusual behaviour of the train's braking system in wet weather.

    The students recorded the behaviour of the gas as the pressure in the container slowly rose.

    Similarperformance, operation, functioning

Less common meaning

  1. 4
    best mannersnoununcountable
    The state of behaving as well or as politely as one can, usually because others are watching, as in on one's best behaviour.

    The new manager was on her best behaviour throughout her first week, smiling at everyone.

    Remember, you're on your best behaviour at Gran's, so no arguing with your sister.

    UsageUsed in be on your best behaviour, with the possessive matching the person: they were on their best behaviour.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of behaviour apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

Middle English had behavoure and behaver, built on the verb behaven (today's behave). The ending seems to have been modelled on havour, a garbled form of Old French aveir or avoir (“a having”), which goes back in the end to Latin habēre. The word took the place of Old English ġebǣru.