MEANING
To be advisable or necessary for someone to act in a particular way.
Use it for
Use when duty or prudence makes an action advisable.Give advice or obligation a ceremonious, formal register.
Words that belong together
- it behooves someone to
- would behoove
- behoove a person to act
On the page
It would behoove the witness to tell the whole truth.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- behoove
- Past tense
- behooved
- Past participle
- behooved
- Present participle
- behooving
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- behoove
- Present continuous
- am/is/are behooving
- Present perfect
- have/has behooved
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been behooving
- Past
- behooved
- Past continuous
- was/were behooving
- Past perfect
- had behooved
- Past perfect continuous
- had been behooving
- Future
- will behoove
- Future continuous
- will be behooving
- Future perfect
- will have behooved
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been behooving
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Formal, especially common in American English; usually appears in the pattern “it behooves someone to do something.”
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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