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honor

Syllabification: (hon·or)
Pronunciation: /ˈänər/
(British honour)
Translate honor | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of honor

noun

  • 1high respect; esteem:his portrait hangs in the place of honor
  • [in singular] a person or thing that brings credit:you are an honor to our profession
  • adherence to what is right or to a conventional standard of conduct:I must as a matter of honor avoid any taint of dishonesty
  • 2a privilege:the great poet of whom it is my honor to speak tonight
  • a thing conferred as a distinction, especially an official award for bravery or achievement:the highest military honors
  • (honors) a special distinction for proficiency in an examination:she passed with honors
  • (honors) a class or course of degree studies more specialized than that of the ordinary level: [as modifier]:an honors degree in mathematics
  • (His, Your, etc., Honor) a title of respect given to or used in addressing a judge or a mayor.
  • Golf the right of teeing off first, having won the previous hole.
  • 3 dated a woman’s chastity or her reputation for this:she died defending her honor
  • 4 Bridge an ace, king, queen, or jack.
  • (honors) possession in one’s hand of at least four of the ace, king, queen, and jack of trumps, or of all four aces in no trumps, for which a bonus is scored.
  • (in whist) an ace, king, queen, or jack of trumps.

verb

[with object]
  • 1regard with great respect:Joyce has now learned to honor her father’s memory (as adjective honored)an honored guest
  • pay public respect to:talented writers were honored at a special ceremony
  • 2fulfill (an obligation) or keep (an agreement):make sure the franchisees honor the terms of the contract
  • accept (a bill) or pay (a check) when due:the bank informed him that the check would not be honored

Phrases

do the honors

informal perform a social duty or small ceremony for others (often used to describe the serving of food or drink to a guest).

honor bright

dated “on my honor”:I’ll never do it again, honor bright, I won’t
[from Thomas Moore's Tom Cribb's Memorial to Congress (1819)]

in honor bound

another way of saying honor.

in honor of

as a celebration of or expression of respect for.

on one's honor

under a moral obligation:they are on their honor as gentlemen not to cheat

on (or upon) my honor

used as an expression of sincerity:I promise on my honor

there's honor among thieves

proverb dishonest people may have certain standards of behavior that they will respect.

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French onor (noun), onorer (verb), from Latin honor

Spelling help

Remember that honor ends with -or (the spelling honour is British).

honor in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of honor in the British & World English dictionary
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