behaviour

behaviour — noun

1. the usual way a person acts, especially in dealing with other people or followin

1.nounB1
Definition

the usual way a person acts, especially in dealing with other people or following rules.

Example

The coach praised Mia's calm behaviour after the team lost the final.

adjective + behaviour

Bad behaviour on the school bus led to a call home.

collocation: bad behaviour

Common collocations
  • good behaviour
  • bad behaviour
  • polite behaviour
  • aggressive behaviour
  • behaviour in class
Synonyms
  • conduct

    more formal and often used when judging whether someone's actions are acceptable

  • manners

    focuses more narrowly on politeness in social situations

  • actions

    refers to particular things a person does, not their general pattern

Usage Note

Usually uncountable when you mean a person's general way of acting. Distinguish from sense 2, which is common in scientific or technical descriptions of how animals, machines, or substances react in certain conditions.

Common Mistakes

His behaviours are strange.
His behaviour is strange.
for a person's general way of acting, 'behaviour' is usually uncountable.
The teacher was angry by his behaviour.
The teacher was angry about his behaviour.
use 'angry about' for the cause of the feeling.

2. how a person, animal, machine, or substance reacts or functions in certain condi

2.nounB2
Definition

how a person, animal, machine, or substance reacts or functions in certain conditions.

Example

Scientists measured the behaviour of the gas at very low temperatures.

behaviour of + substance + at + condition

The robot's behaviour changes when the floor becomes wet.

Common collocations
  • animal behaviour
  • behaviour of gases
  • behaviour under pressure
  • behaviour in water
  • machine behaviour
Synonyms
  • response

    emphasizes what happens after a particular cause or change

  • reaction

    often used when a substance, body, or system changes because of something else

  • performance

    focuses more on how well a machine or system works

Usage Note

Often appears with 'of' plus the thing being studied, and with phrases such as 'under pressure', 'in water', or 'at high temperatures'. Distinguish from sense 1, which mainly concerns a person's social conduct.

Common Mistakes

The scientist studied the gas's behave under pressure.
The scientist studied the gas's behaviour under pressure.
after a possessive form, you need the noun 'behaviour', not the verb 'behave'.
Idioms

be on your best behaviour

idiom

To act in the most polite and correct way possible.

Maya was on her best behaviour during the job interview.

Are you on your best behaviour when visiting your grandparents?

Word family

  • behave
    verbA2
  • misbehave
    verbB1
  • behavioural
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Behaviour' is the broad everyday word for the way a person usually acts. It can describe anything from politeness to violence, and it often sounds neutral until an adjective is added, as in 'good behaviour' or 'strange behaviour'. 'Conduct' is more formal and is common in school, legal, or workplace rules, especially when someone is judged. 'Manners' is narrower: it mainly concerns polite social habits such as saying thank you or waiting your turn. 'Actions' points to individual things someone does, not their overall pattern. So you might criticize a student's behaviour, punish a worker for serious conduct, praise a child's manners at dinner, or explain one action that caused the trouble.

behaviour ↗conduct ↗mannersactions

Common collocations

Nouns

  • pattern of behaviour
  • forms of behaviour

Phrases

  • observe behaviour
  • study behaviour

Prepositions

  • behaviour of
  • behaviour in

Etymology

English

This noun was formed in English from the verb 'behave' and the noun ending '-iour' in the late Middle English period. British English kept the spelling 'behaviour', while American English later developed the shorter form 'behavior'.