Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- Less correct spelling of
behoove .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- verb and derivatives. See
behoove , &c.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To
suit ; tobefit .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb be appropriate or necessary
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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If I could speak one word that might be the means of enkindling in your heart, thoughts and feelings such as behove a man, who will one day have to give an account, not of himself alone, but of those committed to his care.
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Whenever we use 'behove', the subject is always 'it'.
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From the Catholic encyclopedia at newadvent. org: "Neither does humility require us in our own estimation to think less of the natural gifts we possess than of similar, or of inferior, gifts in our neighbours; otherwise, as St. Thomas teaches, it would behove everyone to consider himself a greater sinner or a greater fool than his neighbour."
Does Humility Really Walk on Water?, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
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It would behove him to step down and let Colin Powell be president if just for the sake of having a black individual to fill the job.
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But it would ill behove me to disagree with such eminent scientists and SF writers as Clarke and Baxter.
Archive 2010-01-01 Adam Roberts 2010
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If you are going to be an ally of the disabled, it should behove you to speak about them with respect and consult them on what their actual needs are.
Archive 2009-02-01 Renee 2009
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I suggest that it may behove the lady to stop and take a good long look at herself before she paints herself as even more of a hypocrite.
On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with... 2009
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If you are going to be an ally of the disabled, it should behove you to speak about them with respect and consult them on what their actual needs are.
Sure Let’s Honour A Homophobe and An Admitted Ablest : Epic Oscars Fail Renee 2009
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It may behove both him and thee to know, that although there is no purpose of remitting him to the dungeons of the Blacquernal palace, yet if he, or any on his part, should aspire to head a party in these feverish times, — by the honour of a gentleman, to swear a Frankish oath, he shall find that he is not out of the reach of the battle-axes of my Varangians.
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Given the context about the responsibilities of the media, it would behove you to be upfront about the influence of the paper in this affair.
On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with... 2008
mickeybear commented on the word behove
Quite shocked to see the inaccurate definition above, apparently from the Century Dictionary, describing ‘behove’ as a ‘less correct spelling of behoove.’ ‘Behoove’ is simply the prevailing N American usage, whereas ‘behove’ is the established British English usage.
February 9, 2023
ry commented on the word behove
It's important for Wordnik users to remember that the Century definitions are sourced from a digitized edition of the Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia published in the 1890s (and never revised). It's very useful for rare words but application within modern usage should be carefully considered, and ideally, spared useless grousing
February 13, 2023