behaviour

[ bih-heyv-yer ]

noun

, Chiefly British.

1. behavior.

behaviour

/ bɪˈheɪvjə /

noun

1. manner of behaving or conducting oneself
2. on one's best behaviour
   behaving with careful good manners
3. psychol
   1. the aggregate of all the responses made by an organism in any situation
   2. a specific response of a certain organism to a specific stimulus or group of stimuli
4. the action, reaction, or functioning of a system, under normal or specified circumstances

Spelling Note

See -or ¹.

Derived Forms

• beˈhavioural, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of behaviour¹

C15: from behave ; influenced in form by Middle English havior , from Old French havoir , from Latin habēre to have

Example Sentences

The study suggests that activity behaviour during working hours may be more relevant to 24-hour blood pressure than recreational physical activity.

From Science Daily

A report by the Charity Commission found Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband displayed a "pattern of behaviour" in which they personally benefitted from the Captain Tom Foundation.

From BBC

"Ryanair has for many years used bag fees and airport check-in fees to change passenger behaviour and we pass on these cost savings in the form of lower fares to consumers," he said.

From BBC

As his team hunched over computers eating takeaway pizza, he raged about the obstructionist behaviour of many of the other teams at the conference.

From BBC

Offenders could also be forced to attend drug or alcohol treatment services, or anger management courses, to address the root cause of their behaviour.

From BBC