Behoove Meaning: What It Means, How to Use It, and Why Every Staff Officer Says It
Behoove (verb, bih-HOOV): to be necessary, proper, or to your advantage. "It would behoove you to check the slides before the brief."
That is the dictionary answer. The practical answer is that when someone above you says "it would behoove you," they are giving an order while keeping plausible deniability that they gave one.
The Behoove Mug. The definition is printed right on it.
A 15 ounce ceramic mug with BEHOOVE and its definition on the front. It is the gift for the staff officer, the senior NCO, or the manager who has used the word in every meeting since 2011. Or keep it for yourself and let it do the talking. $19.99.
Shop the Behoove MugStaff Section 4-PackFill it with something decent: subscribe to any roast and the first order is 30% off automatically, 15% off every delivery after.
What does behoove mean?
Behoove means it is necessary, fitting, or in someone's interest to do something. It almost always shows up in one shape: it behooves [someone] to [do something].
- "It behooves every driver to check the tire pressure before a long trip."
- "It would behoove you to read the email before replying all."
- "It does not behoove a leader to take credit for the private's idea."
British English spells it behove and rhymes it with "rove." Same meaning.
Where does the word behoove come from?
Old English behōfian, meaning "to need." It is related to the old noun behoof, meaning benefit or advantage, which survives in legal phrases like "for the use and behoof of." So when something behooves you, it is literally to your benefit. Usually that means the benefit of not getting yelled at.
How do you use behoove in a sentence?
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| behooves | It behooves us to leave before traffic. |
| would behoove | It would behoove you to have a plan B. |
| behooved | It behooved the unit to finish inventory before the change of command. |
| does not behoove | It does not behoove anyone to argue with the range safety officer. |
Grammar note: behoove wants "it" as the subject. "You behoove to fix this" is wrong. "It behooves you to fix this" is right.
What does it mean when your boss says "it would behoove you"?
A field translation guide, built from years of listening to it in conference rooms and motor pools.
| What they said | What they meant |
|---|---|
| It would behoove you to look at slide 14. | Slide 14 is wrong and I am not fixing it. |
| It might behoove us to sync before the brief. | You are about to embarrass me in front of the colonel. |
| It would behoove everyone to be early. | Formation is at 0600, which means 0545, which means 0530. |
| I think it would behoove you to reconsider. | No. |
| It behooves me to remind the team... | Somebody did the thing again. |
Why does the military say behoove so much?
Because it sounds like an order without technically being one. It is polite on paper, unmistakable in person, and it lets the speaker sound like they read a book once. It lives in the same staff dialect as "bottom line up front," "lean forward," "circle back," and "let's get synergy on this."
Once you notice it, you hear it everywhere. And once you hear it everywhere, you need a mug.
What else is in the staff section starter kit?
- Behoove Mug, $19.99. The definition, weaponized.
- The Staff Section 4-Pack, $69.99. I Turn Red Bubbles Into Green Bubbles, Status Update: Dumpster Fire, We Solved The Problem By Renaming It, and The Lower The Rank, The Better The Idea. Cheaper as a set.
- Front Toward Synergy Mug, $19.99. For the claymore of corporate buzzwords.
- The Lower The Rank, The Better The Idea, $19.99. Every E-4 knows it is true.
All of them are hand wash only. The dishwasher will eat the print, and it does not behoove anyone to find that out the hard way.
What should go in the mug?
It would behoove you not to fill a good mug with gas station coffee. Fire Watch is our smooth Colombian medium, the bag most people reorder. If the meetings are long, MOAB has about double the caffeine.
It would behoove you to never run out
Set your roast to ship every 2, 4, or 8 weeks. First subscription order is 30% off automatically, 15% off after that, change or cancel anytime.
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What does behoove mean?
Behoove means to be necessary, proper, or advantageous for someone. It is almost always used as it behooves someone to do something, as in: it would behoove you to arrive early.
How do you use behoove in a sentence?
Use it with it as the subject. It behooves us to plan ahead. It would behoove you to check your work. It does not behoove a leader to blame the team. Saying you behoove to do something is incorrect.
Is it behoove or behove?
Both are correct. Behoove is the American spelling and rhymes with move. Behove is the British spelling and rhymes with rove. The meaning is identical.
What does it would behoove you mean?
It means it would be in your best interest to do something. In practice it is a polite way of telling someone to do it, usually from a person who outranks them.
Where does the word behoove come from?
It comes from the Old English behofian, meaning to need, and is related to the old noun behoof, meaning benefit or advantage.
