behoove

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be·hoove

 (bĭ-ho͞ov′)
v. be·hooved, be·hoov·ing, be·hooves
v.tr.
To be necessary or proper for: It behooves you at least to try.
v.intr.
To be necessary or proper.

[Middle English behoven, from Old English behōfian; see kap- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

be•hoove

(bɪˈhuv)

v. -hooved, -hoov•ing. (chiefly in impersonal use) v.t.
1. to be necessary or proper for: It behooves us to reconsider.
v.i.
2. to be necessary, proper, or due.
[before 900; Middle English behoven, Old English behōfian to need, v. derivative of behōf behoof]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

behoove


Past participle: behooved
Gerund: behooving

Imperative
behoove
behoove
Present
I behoove
you behoove
he/she/it behooves
we behoove
you behoove
they behoove
Preterite
I behooved
you behooved
he/she/it behooved
we behooved
you behooved
they behooved
Present Continuous
I am behooving
you are behooving
he/she/it is behooving
we are behooving
you are behooving
they are behooving
Present Perfect
I have behooved
you have behooved
he/she/it has behooved
we have behooved
you have behooved
they have behooved
Past Continuous
I was behooving
you were behooving
he/she/it was behooving
we were behooving
you were behooving
they were behooving
Past Perfect
I had behooved
you had behooved
he/she/it had behooved
we had behooved
you had behooved
they had behooved
Future
I will behoove
you will behoove
he/she/it will behoove
we will behoove
you will behoove
they will behoove
Future Perfect
I will have behooved
you will have behooved
he/she/it will have behooved
we will have behooved
you will have behooved
they will have behooved
Future Continuous
I will be behooving
you will be behooving
he/she/it will be behooving
we will be behooving
you will be behooving
they will be behooving
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been behooving
you have been behooving
he/she/it has been behooving
we have been behooving
you have been behooving
they have been behooving
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been behooving
you will have been behooving
he/she/it will have been behooving
we will have been behooving
you will have been behooving
they will have been behooving
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been behooving
you had been behooving
he/she/it had been behooving
we had been behooving
you had been behooving
they had been behooving
Conditional
I would behoove
you would behoove
he/she/it would behoove
we would behoove
you would behoove
they would behoove
Past Conditional
I would have behooved
you would have behooved
he/she/it would have behooved
we would have behooved
you would have behooved
they would have behooved
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.behoove - be appropriate or necessary; "It behooves us to reflect on this matter"
conform to, fit, meet - satisfy a condition or restriction; "Does this paper meet the requirements for the degree?"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

behoove

verb
To be appropriate or suitable to:
Archaic: beseem.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
And the same sun, yellow and pale, as it behooves a Dutch sun to be, was shining in the skies; and the same grated window looked down upon him from the Buytenhof; and the same rabble, no longer yelling, but completely thunderstruck, were staring at him from the streets below.
Now, while discoursing of sperm, it behooves to speak of other things akin to it, in the business of preparing the sperm whale for the try-works.
But once posted in the bank, he fell for a time into a high degree of good fortune, which, as it was only a longer way about to fresh disaster, it behooves me to explain.
"Our dear companion Will Stutely hath been taken by that vile Sheriff's men, therefore doth it behoove us to take bow and brand in hand to bring him off again; for I wot that we ought to risk life and limb for him, as he hath risked life and limb for us.
"Now we will lie here in ambush until we can get news, for it doth behoove us to be cunning and wary if we would bring our friend Will Stutely off from the Sheriff's clutches."
The US and Russian leaders together control more than 90 percent of the world's nuclear stockpile, which behooves the two nations to address the nuclear arms race, the US president said.
'At a time when the ruling party is this powerful, with a President with an authoritarian bent at its helm, it behooves the Senate-as it behooves the whole nation-that everything be done to secure and promote the legitimacy and impartiality of the impeachment proceedings,' she said in a statement.
It behooves every Kenyan to preserve the sanctity of the grounds not just for these noble reasons; the park is the most popular place in the CBD where members of the public retreat to enjoy the freshness of the 'city in the sun' and meditate upon the challenges of their daily struggles.
It behooves club owners, executives and managers to take responsibility for human capital risks, identify the nature of those risks, proactively respond and constantly send signals that they will not be the cause of any likely risk or club failure that is within their control."
"But John is passionate, John is convinced that this is a fatal flaw, and I think sometimes as legislators it behooves us to give people a vehicle to express their citizenship."