BEHAVIOR Definition & Meaning

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behavior

[ bih-heyv-yer ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

manner of behaving or acting.
Synonyms: , ,
Psychology, Animal Behavior.
1. observable activity in a human or animal.
2. the aggregate of responses to internal and external stimuli.
3. a stereotyped, species-specific activity, as a courtship dance or startle reflex.
Often ��·�󲹱�·��ǰ��. a behavior pattern.
the action or reaction of any material under given circumstances:
the behavior of tin under heat.

behavior

/ ��ĭ-��屹′��ə�� /

The actions displayed by an organism in response to its environment.
One of these actions. Certain animal behaviors (such as nest building) result from instinct , while others (such as hunting) must be learned.
The manner in which a physical system, such as a gas, subatomic particle, or ecosystem, acts or functions, especially under specified conditions.

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��·�󲹱�·��ǰ�·�� adjective
��·�ٱ��·��·�󲹱�·��ǰ� noun

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of behavior¹

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 �󲹲�ŧ�� “to have”); replacing late Middle English behavoure, behaver; -or ¹( def )

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Idioms and Phrases

see on one's best behavior .

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Synonym Study

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.

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Example Sentences

At La Placita, he opened the church’s doors to shelter migrant youth during a time of tense discourse about immigration, and federal officials accused him of promoting illegal behavior.

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Johnson's behavior is perfectly consistent with the renewed Republican enthusiasm for pushing women out of public life and back into the kitchen.

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I asked Stone why there was any severance agreement at all, given that Meta asserts that Wynn-Williams was fired for “poor performance and toxic behavior.”

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“It is a natural consumer behavior when people see an impending price change to race in and respond accordingly,” said Dominick Miserandino, a retail and consumer analyst and chief executive of Retail Tech Media Nexus.

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Lawsuits and interviews The Times conducted provide a fresh glimpse into the extraordinary dysfunction inside Donda and the erratic behavior of its controversial founder that led to its unraveling.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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