Definition

Noun: An authoritative command or request, often one that is urgent or formal. It implies that the instruction comes from someone in a position of authority or importance and is to be followed or acted upon.

Usage

"Behest" is a formal noun, typically used in written or formal spoken English. It is almost always used in the phrase "at the behest of (someone/something)", meaning because someone or something has ordered or requested it.

Examples

• The committee launched the investigation at the behest of the chairman.
• The policy was changed at the behest of public opinion.
• He acted not out of personal desire, but at the direct behest of his king.

Advanced Usage

• "At one's behest": A slightly more literary or archaic phrasing with the same meaning as "at the behest of."
  • The knights rode forth at their lord's behest.
• "To do someone's behest": An older, less common construction meaning to carry out someone's command.
  • He was bound to do his master's behest.

Variants and Related Words

• Hest (noun, archaic): An old-fashioned synonym for "behest," meaning a command or injunction. It is rarely used in modern English.

Synonyms

• Command
• Order
• Decree
• Injunction
• Directive
• Mandate
• Request (when the authority makes a strong, expected-to-be-followed request)

Idioms and Phrases

• At the behest of: This is the primary and almost exclusive phrase in which "behest" is used. It functions as a prepositional phrase explaining the reason or authority behind an action.
  • The law was passed at the behest of powerful lobbying groups.

Noun

1. an authoritative command or request