behavior
Americannoun
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manner of behaving or acting.
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Psychology, Animal Behavior.
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observable activity in a human or animal.
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the aggregate of responses to internal and external stimuli.
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a stereotyped, species-specific activity, as a courtship dance or startle reflex.
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Often behaviors. a behavior pattern.
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the action or reaction of any material under given circumstances.
the behavior of tin under heat.
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The actions displayed by an organism in response to its environment.
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One of these actions. Certain animal behaviors (such as nest building) result from instinct, while others (such as hunting) must be learned.
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The manner in which a physical system, such as a gas, subatomic particle, or ecosystem, acts or functions, especially under specified conditions.
Related Words
Behavior, conduct, deportment, comportment refer to one's actions before or toward others, especially on a particular occasion. Behavior refers to actions usually measured by commonly accepted standards: His behavior at the party was childish. Conduct refers to actions viewed collectively, especially as measured by an ideal standard: Conduct is judged according to principles of ethics. Deportment is behavior related to a code or to an arbitrary standard: Deportment is guided by rules of etiquette. The teacher gave Susan a mark of B in deportment. Comportment is behavior as viewed from the standpoint of one's management of one's own actions: His comportment was marked by a quiet assurance.
Other Word Forms
- behavioral adjective
- interbehavior noun
Etymology
Origin of behavior
First recorded in 1375–1425; behave ( def. ) + -ior (on model of havior, variant of havor, from Middle French (h)avoir “a having,” ultimately from Latin habēre “to have”); replacing late Middle English behavoure, behaver; -or 1 ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Over the next few weeks we will work with the Legislature to combat this monopolistic behavior, strengthen accountability and level the playing field for working families,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times
However, he was fired a year later due to improper behavior, which raised issues around governance.
From Barron's
“This is not only a technical resistance but also a symbolic milestone that attracts media attention, increases liquidity and can trigger FOMO-type behavior,” he said, referring to the fear of missing out.
From MarketWatch
Stalin’s behavior, and an unfortunate leak from a highly placed senator, drove Truman to authorize work on “the Super,” a thermonuclear bomb hundreds of times more powerful than the one that leveled Hiroshima.
Chen discovers many parallels between X’s history and his own, causing him to contrast his cautious post-Tiananmen behavior with X’s braver choices.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
