debt of honor
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of debt of honor
First recorded in 1640–50
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.
By then, the poet had revolted against his father’s severe morality, yet he felt obligated to pay a debt of honor.
From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2020
“The president asked me to be here, on behalf of a grateful nation, to pay a debt of honor and respect,” Pence said.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 31, 2018
This is a longstanding pledge of medical care, and a debt of honor, that is owed to America’s veterans.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 11, 2014
Again the Gray Seal plunges into the Underworld and, exhibiting all his old deftness, quickly repays a debt of honor.
From Time Magazine Archive
“Hetsnickle was a famous bandapat. The debt of honor is named after her. You know, how I have to save your life because you saved me from that rootbeer? That’s the Hetsnickle debt.”
From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins
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.
