behaviour

American  

[bih-heyv-yer] / bɪˈheɪv yər /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. behavior.

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behaviour British  

/ bɪˈheɪvjə /

noun

1. manner of behaving or conducting oneself

2. 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

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Spelling

See -or ¹.

Other Word Forms

• behavioural adjective

Etymology

Origin of behaviour

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

Explanation

Your behaviour is the way you act in various situations. Note that this word ends with "our," which is the British spelling, while the American English spelling is behavior. This discrepancy is common, and either spelling is correct. The Late Middle English word behavoure meant "to have possession," which seemingly refers to a person in control of his or her actions. If you are accused of childish behaviour, you might be acting as though you have little self-control. Scottish musician Shirley Manson once said: "A lot of celebrities just want money, fame, power, fancy cars, houses all over the world and have people bow down to them. To me, that's frightful behaviour."

Example Sentences

An end-of-year review will assess changes in behaviour, engagement and wellbeing among pupils and staff.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Jane said Al Fayed's behaviour had escalated, making her feel "more and more uncomfortable to the point where I was looking for excuses not to go into his office".

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

It added that the move was taken after "a declaration of innocence following her change in behaviour."

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

Sir Adrian said if his parents had done "what they morally ought to have done" and reported the suspicious behaviour he had displayed, he would not have been free on the day of the attack.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

"It was a great shock to me. Her parents were decent folk, too, who had brought her up very strictly. I'm glad to say they did not condone her behaviour."

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie