principle
an accepted or professed rule of action or conduct: a person of good moral principles.
a fundamental, primary, or general law or truth from which others are derived: the principles of modern physics.
a fundamental doctrine or tenet; a distinctive ruling opinion: the principles of the Stoics.
principles, a personal or specific basis of conduct or management: to adhere to one's principles; a kindergarten run on modern principles.
guiding sense of the requirements and obligations of right conduct: a person of principle.
an adopted rule or method for application in action: a working principle for general use.
a rule or law exemplified in natural phenomena, the construction or operation of a machine, the working of a system, or the like: the principle of capillary attraction.
the method of formation, operation, or procedure exhibited in a given case: a community organized on the patriarchal principle.
a determining characteristic of something; essential quality.
an originating or actuating agency or force: growth is the principle of life.
an actuating agency in the mind or character, as an instinct, faculty, or natural tendency: the principles of human behavior.
Chemistry. a constituent of a substance, especially one giving to it some distinctive quality or effect.
Obsolete. beginning or commencement.
Idioms about principle
in principle, in essence or substance; fundamentally: to accept a plan in principle.
on principle,
according to personal rules for right conduct; as a matter of moral principle: He refused on principle to agree to the terms of the treaty.
according to a fixed rule, method, or practice: He drank hot milk every night on principle.
Origin of principle
1synonym study For principle
confusables note For principle
Other words for principle
Words that may be confused with principle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use principle in a sentence
By grounding leadership on this subject in principle and an affirmation of fundamental democratic rights, CEOs can ensure that they are leading on this issue, while continuing to be good stewards of their organizations.
Why CEOs must take action on democracy and election integrity—and how they can do it | matthewheimer | August 27, 2020 | FortuneNext-generation prototypes will use the same artificial muscle principle with a speedier, more maneuverable design and a different fuel.
Methanol fuel gives this tiny beetle bot the freedom to roam | Carmen Drahl | August 19, 2020 | Science NewsJosh Silverman arrived at the solution via recursion and telescoping, while Lucas Fagan impressively solved it using the inclusion-exclusion principle.
While efforts to build ethical principles into AI are already underway, they are nascent and in many contexts there are a vast number of potential strategies to choose from.
AI Behaving Badly: New Model Could Help AI Make More Ethical Choices | Edd Gent | July 6, 2020 | Singularity HubThat’s the assertion of ARK Invest, which today published a meta-analysis indicating the cost of training is improving at 50 times the pace of Moore’s law, the principle that computer hardware performance doubles every two years.
This Week’s Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through June 6) | Singularity Hub Staff | June 6, 2020 | Singularity Hub
In the end, the clarity that comes from moments of horror can help us recommit to deeper principles.
To be a liberal, you have to stand up for liberal principles.
Bill Maher: Hundreds of Millions of Muslims Support Attack on ‘Charlie Hebdo’ | Lloyd Grove | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTBut Cosby Truthers are applying their principles to the wrong cause.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers | Stereo Williams | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThese matters are not mere threats to abstract constitutional principles.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead | Luke O’Neil | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThe website, which as of now consists of just a homepage stating general principles, is indivisible.us.
The Democrats’ Black Hole—and What They Can Do About It | Michael Tomasky | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut to wave this discourse of Heathens, how many self-contradicting principles are there held among Christians?
The worst loss is that of Winston's ear; high principles won't obtain high explosives.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonNot only have its fundamental principles been fully vindicated but in most details the working of the measure has been successful.
Readings in Money and Banking | Chester Arthur PhillipsChemistry has taught us that nicotine is only one among many principles which are contained in the plant.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.But the essential problem of to-day is to know how far we are to depart from its principles.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen Leacock
British Dictionary definitions for principle (1 of 2)
/ (ˈprɪnsɪpəl) /
a standard or rule of personal conduct: a man of principle
(often plural) a set of such moral rules: he'd stoop to anything; he has no principles
adherence to such a moral code; morality: it's not the money but the principle of the thing; torn between principle and expediency
a fundamental or general truth or law: first principles
the essence of something: the male principle
a source or fundamental cause; origin: principle of life
a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the behaviour of a system: the principle of the conservation of mass
an underlying or guiding theory or belief: the hereditary principle; socialist principles
chem a constituent of a substance that gives the substance its characteristics and behaviour: bitter principle
in principle in theory or essence
on principle because of or in demonstration of a principle
Origin of principle
1usage For principle
British Dictionary definitions for Principle (2 of 2)
/ (ˈprɪnsɪpəl) /
Christian Science another word for God
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with principle
see in principle; on principle.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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