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honours

British  
/ ˈɒnəz /

plural noun

  1. observances of respect

  2. (often capital)

    1. (in a university degree or degree course) a rank of the highest academic standard

    2.  Hons.  ( as modifier ) Compare general pass

      an honours degree

  3. a high mark awarded for an examination; distinction

  4. observances of respect at a funeral

  5. ceremonies performed by troops in honour of royalty, at the burial of an officer, etc

"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

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.

Osman and Bailey were both named in the King's New Year Honours list.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

It concluded he had been awarded the wrong grade for a course due to an error by the university and should have graduated with a 2:1 Honours degree.

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026

Le Carré himself attended the University of Oxford, where he studied Modern Languages with a focus on German literature, graduating with a First-Class Honours degree in 1956.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

He was knighted for services to broadcasting and journalism in the 2002 New Year Honours list.

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2026

Lesage had won a King's Scholarship to Eton, the only boy from the school ever to have done so, his name was painted in gold leaf on the Honours Board.

From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill

Definitions 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.