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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."
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Examples of behest in a Sentence
Justin Klawans, theweek, 26 June 2024
Past practice and legal tradition relegated the act, which Congress passed at the behest of Anthony Comstock, one of the outstanding bluenoses of American history, to the scrap heap long ago.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2024
Additional ballot questions will likely be put to voters this fall at the behest of the Baltimore City Council.
—Emily Opilo, Baltimore Sun, 20 June 2024
The chaos helped lead to the forced ouster of the country’s prime minister, Ariel Henry, and ushered in a new political transition at the behest of the Biden administration and Caribbean leaders.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 18 June 2024
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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.
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Cite this Entry
“Behest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behest. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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behest
noun
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