Did you know?
Behest is an ancient word: it is almost a thousand years old. It was formed from the prefix be- and the verb hātan ("to command" or "to promise"), and its Old English ancestor was used exclusively in the sense of "promise," a now-obsolete meaning that continued on in Middle English especially in the phrase "the land of behest." The "command" meaning of behest is also ancient but it's still in good use, typically referring to an authoritative order. Behest is now also used with a less weighty meaning; it can refer to an urgent prompting, as in "a repeat performance at the behest of the troupe's fans."
Synonyms
Examples of behest in a Sentence
Cedar Attanasio, arkansasonline.com, 30 Apr. 2024
The recount comes at the behest of Jonathan Padilla, a 2020 and 2024 Biden delegate and former mayoral campaign staffer for former San Jose Mayor Liccardo, who finished the primary in first place.
—Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for behest 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'behest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to behest
Dictionary Entries Near behest
Cite this Entry
“Behest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behest. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
behest
noun
Share