misbehave
verb
mis·be·have
ˌmis-bi-ˈhāv 
-bē-
misbehaved; misbehaving
1
a
transitive
: to conduct (oneself) badly or improperly
students who frequently misbehave themselves in class
b
intransitive
: to behave with poor manners or a lack of courtesy
He worried about the decline of family discipline, about the fact that local youth went out walking after dark, wasted time in levity, misbehaved in church.—
Tracy Kidder
Tracy Kidder
c
intransitive
: to behave with disregard for accepted moral standards especially in sexual matters
known for misbehaving with numerous women
d
intransitive
of a member of the armed forces
: to behave before or in the presence of the enemy in a way that does not conform to military standards or practice
… has been charged with desertion and misbehaving before the enemy …—Dan Lamothe
Dan Lamothe2
intransitive
: to behave in an unexpected or unwelcome way
After five floods in four years, people in Liberty County are used to seeing the Trinity River misbehave.—Adam Nossiter
Adam Nossiter
misbehaver
noun
plural misbehavers
misbehavers in the classroom
Examples of misbehave in a Sentence
scolded the children for misbehaving and sent them to bed early
Recent Examples on the Web
And what if those benefits require muddy, not clean, water?
What are the benefits of misbehaving rivers of muddy water?
—Jeff Opperman, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
The top reasons include students misbehaving in the bathroom, leaving the classroom without actually needing to use the restroom, and having enough time to use the bathroom on break.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 23 Sep. 2024
Flights While paying for fuel specifically is unusual, hefty fines are not uncommon for those who misbehave at 30,000 feet.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2024
On July 30, four days after Variety’s original article, Deadline published a piece with another extra from the movie who said the claims that Coppola misbehaved during production were untrue.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for misbehave 
Jeff Opperman, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
The top reasons include students misbehaving in the bathroom, leaving the classroom without actually needing to use the restroom, and having enough time to use the bathroom on break.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 23 Sep. 2024
Flights While paying for fuel specifically is unusual, hefty fines are not uncommon for those who misbehave at 30,000 feet.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2024
On July 30, four days after Variety’s original article, Deadline published a piece with another extra from the movie who said the claims that Coppola misbehaved during production were untrue.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for misbehave
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'misbehave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near misbehave
Cite this Entry
“Misbehave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misbehave. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
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