begrime, v. soil, dirty, blacken, tarnish; sully, befoul, defile, contaminate; smear, tar, grease, blur; draggle, drabble, bemire, Archaic, daggle, spatter, muddy, blotch; smudge, smutch, smirch, bedaub; spot, stain, maculate.

begrudge, v. envy, resent, grudge, be jealous; covet, crave, hanker for, desire, lust after,

beguile, v. 1. mislead, delude, dupe, fool, befool; hoodwink, bamboozle, humbug, take in, pull the wool over [s.o.'s] eyes; deceive, cheat, gull, cozen, outwit, circumvent; defraud, fleece, swindle, pluck, rook, mulct, Inf. diddle, Inf. gyp.
2. divert, distract, delight, interest, regale; amuse, entertain, occupy, engross, absorb, engage; please, cheer, gladden, gratify, tickle.
3. (usu. of time) pass, while, spend, fritter, waste, idle.

behalf, n. 1.

in or

on behalf of for, acting for, in place of, representing, as a representative of, in the name of, on the part of, under authority of, on orders of. 2. in or

on one's behalf in the interest of, for the benefit of, for the advantage of.

behave, v. 1. (all of oneself) deport, demean, conduct, comport, acquit; carry, bear; manage, govern, regulate.
2. act, perform, function, operate, run, work; respond, comply, adjust, conform.
3. (all usu. imperative) obey, mind, mind one's p's and q's; fly right, shape up, get on the stick, toe the line or mark.

behavior, n. 1. demeanor, conduct, deportment, comportment, Archaic, havior; bearing, carriage, posture, gait, pose, port; manners, breeding, upbringing, rearing; habits, ways, dealings, customs, practice; morals, ethics, principles.
2. reaction, response, adaptation, adjustment; per formance, function, operation.
3. misbehavior, disobedience, delinquency, misdeeds, Inf. cutting up, Inf. goings-on. See - misbehavior.

behead, v. decapitate, decollate, sever the neck of, chop or cut or slice off the head of; guillotine, send to the ax, send to the headsman or headman; execute, kill, impose capital punishment on, inflict the death penalty on.

behest, n. 1. command, commandment, order, decree, edict, fiat, precept, enjoiner, enjoinment, ordination, charge, word; dictate, mandate, rule, ruling, requirement, imposition, injunction, Law. writ; prescription, directive, direction, compulsion, instruction; volition, will, wish, desire, want, choice, pleasure; determination, fixation, fixture, decision, terms, appointment, establishment.
2. demand, exaction, ultimatum; exhortation, urge, urging, pleading, begging; solicitation, requisition, request, proposal, asking, petition; invitation, bidding, summons, call, beck, beckoning, nod.

behind, prep. 1. U.S. in back of, at or on the heels of, in the wake of; beyond, on the other side of.
2. after, later than; off the pace of, out of step with.
3. supporting, promoting, backing, financing; instigating, causing, prompting, urging, goading. -adv. 4. in back, in the background, bringing up the rear, rearward.
5. afterwards, next, after, subsequently, close upon, hard at the heels.
6. slow, late, off the pace, off schedule; behindhand, in arrears, overdue, in debt.

behold, v. 1. observe, look at, see, eye; notice, note, remark, mark, heed, pay attention to; witness, watch, view, survey; descry, discern, glimpse, gaze at, stare;