honor
Americannoun
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honors
plural
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honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions.
a man of honor.
- Synonyms:
- uprightness, probity
- Antonyms:
- dishonesty, dishonor
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a source of credit or distinction.
to be an honor to one's family.
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high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank.
to be held in honor.
- Synonyms:
- veneration, reverence, homage, deference
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such respect manifested.
a memorial in honor of the dead.
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high public esteem; fame; glory.
He has earned his position of honor.
- Synonyms:
- distinction
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the privilege of being associated with or receiving a favor from a respected person, group, organization, etc..
I had the honor of serving on the Pulitzer Prize jury.
It is an honor to introduce this evening's speaker.
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Usually honors. evidence, as a special ceremony, decoration, scroll, or title, of high rank, dignity, or distinction.
political honors;
military honors.
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Honor, a deferential title of respect, especially for judges and mayors (preceded by His, Her, Your, etc.).
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honors,
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special rank or distinction conferred by a university, college, or school upon a student for eminence in scholarship or success in some particular subject.
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an advanced course of study for superior students.
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especially historically, chastity or purity in a woman.
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Also called honor card. Cards.
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Bridge. any of the five highest trump cards, as an ace, king, queen, jack, or ten in the trump suit, or any of the four aces in a no-trump contract.
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Whist. any of the four highest trump cards, as an ace, king, queen, or jack in the trump suit.
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Golf. the privilege of teeing off before the other player or side, given after the first hole to the player or side that won the previous hole.
verb (used with object)
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honors,
present (3rd person singular)
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honored,
past participle, past
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honoring
present participle
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to hold in honor or high respect; revere.
to honor one's parents.
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to treat with honor.
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to confer honor or distinction upon.
The university honored her with its leadership award.
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to worship, glorify, or serve (a deity).
Believers honor Hanuman as the embodiment of strength and courage.
May he grow to be a man who loves and honors God.
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to show a courteous regard for.
to honor an invitation.
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Commerce. to accept or pay (a draft, check, etc.).
All credit cards are honored here.
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to accept as valid and conform to the request or demands of (an official document).
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(in square dancing) to meet or salute with a bow.
adjective
idioms
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do honor to,
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to show respect to.
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to be a credit to.
Such good students would do honor to any teacher.
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do the honors, to serve or preside as host, as in introducing people, or carving or serving at table.
Father did the honors at the family Thanksgiving dinner.
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be on / upon one's honor, to accept and acknowledge personal responsibility for one's actions.
West Point cadets are on their honor not to cheat on an exam.
noun
Synonym Usage
Honor, honesty, integrity, sincerity refer to the highest moral principles and the absence of deceit or fraud. Honor denotes a fine sense of, and a strict conformity to, what is considered morally right or due: a high sense of honor; on one's honor. Honesty denotes the presence of probity and particularly the absence of deceit or fraud, especially in business dealings: uncompromising honesty and trustworthiness. Integrity indicates a soundness of moral principle that no power or influence can impair: a man of unquestioned integrity and dependability. Sincerity implies absence of dissimulation or deceit, and a strong adherence to truth: His sincerity was evident in every word. Honor, consideration, distinction refer to the regard in which one is held by others. Honor suggests a combination of liking and respect: His colleagues held him in great honor. Consideration suggests honor because of proved worth: a man worthy of the highest consideration. Distinction suggests particular honor because of qualities or accomplishments: She achieved distinction as a violinist at an early age.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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honorernoun
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overhonorverb (used with object)
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rehonorverb (used with object)
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honorlessadjective
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self-honoredadjective
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unhonoredadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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honorsimple
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honorssimple
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have honoredperfect
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has honoredperfect
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am honoringprogressive
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are honoringprogressive
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is honoringprogressive
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have been honoringperfect progressive
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has been honoringperfect progressive
Past
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honoredsimple
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had honoredperfect
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was honoringprogressive
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were honoringprogressive
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had been honoringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of honor
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English noun (h)onour, (h)onor, from Old French (h)onor, onur, from Latin honōr- (stem of honor, earlier honōs); verb ultimately derivative of the noun
Explanation
Honor has many uses, all of them good. If you are called a man of honor, you are respected. If someone honors you, they recognize and award you for your achievements. The term honor has always been a word used to describe men and women of high moral worth or great achievement. It can be used as either a noun or verb, and in many different settings. People graduate from college with honor, meaning they have outstanding grades. A woman of honor is pure and decent. Soldiers are buried with full military honors, which means they are given gun salutes and trumpet calls and the nation's fullest respect.
Vocabulary lists containing honor
Veterans Day Vocabulary
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A Graduation Lexicon
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"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“With our ceremony, we kept it very short and sweet. We did our vows privately, but for the family section, we had a chair to honor both of them with just flowers,” Woods said.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
Rachel Apa, from Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, was running on Sunday with the Parkinson's Foundation Champions to raise money and honor her grandfather who had the disease, she said in a fundraising page.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
This year’s celebration will honor Pedro Infante and offer a classic car cruise, face painting, Aztec blessing and procession, Ballet Folklorico, mariachi music, and a communal ofrenda.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026
Governments in the region are straining to honor the entitlements of future pensioners, threatening a fragile generational contract.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
At the elementary school named in her honor, four grades were housed in each classroom.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
A group portrait honors Black Red Cross nurses, who had long been excluded from training programs and were recruited during labor shortages toward the end of World War I.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
The eldest of six siblings, his name honors the last of the Aztec emperors, who was killed by the Spaniards after the conquest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
He quickly established himself as one of the league’s promising young players, earning NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2021.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
Ross Newhan, who earned Hall of Fame honors after decades covering pro baseball for the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
I turned to Jenna, who was on the honors track.
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
I was honored to spend four decades serving the people of Texas as a judge, attorney general and a U.S. senator.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
"I am so proud and honored to stand here as your senator-elect from the great state of Michigan."
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
Her formal name, “Liberty Enlightening the World,” honored the American Revolution, which France backed with money, ships and soldiers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Animation, home of the “Looney Tunes” franchise, honored Bauza in a statement, writing that he “brought joy and laughter to millions around the world.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
“If I didn’t know better,” Mother said, “I would think this was the Herdmans being honored instead of the school.”
From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson
Ahead of the race, Apa wrote on her marathon fundraising page how much her grandfather, who she was honoring with the run meant to her.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
So it was about honoring theirs while making it my own as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Then there was last Thursday’s lavish White House dinner honoring Xi Jinping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
President Trump hosted an elaborate state dinner Thursday evening honoring Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
The Oklahoma boys did some of their dancing, too, and the Zuni guy sang a kind of honoring song for everyone.
From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
