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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."
Examples of behest in a Sentence
Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 June 2025
However, in 1965, at the behest of folklorist Mike Seeger, who documented Riddle's songs and stories before his 1980 death, the legendary performer began playing again.
—Jay Stahl, USA Today, 28 May 2025
After a stint as a data scientist at Meta, Caltech alumnus Jerry Ye returned to China in 2017 at the behest of an investor, with the goal of starting a global AI company.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 28 May 2025
Despite these developments, House Republicans, at Donald Trump’s behest, pushed through their One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Behest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behest. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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behest
noun
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