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definitions

honor

[on-er]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR honor ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

verb (used with object)

adjective

of, relating to, or noting honor.

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RELATED WORDS

suggest, offer, propose, submit, recommend, announce, open, preside, do, pose, raise, give, perform, show, cite, produce, declare, display, stage, oversee

Idioms

    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.
    do honor to,
    1. to show respect to.
    2. to be a credit to: Such good students would do honor to any teacher.
    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.
Also especially British, hon·our.

Origin of honor

1150–1200; (noun) Middle English (h)on(o)ur < Anglo-French (Old French (h)onor, onur) < Latin honōr- (stem of honor, earlier honōs); (v.) Middle English < Anglo-French (h)on(o)urer < Latin honōrāre, derivative of honor
Related formshon·or·er, nounhon·or·less, adjectiveo·ver·hon·or, verb (used with object)re·hon·or, verb (used with object)self-hon·ored, adjectiveun·hon·ored, adjective

Synonyms for honor

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR honor ON THESAURUS.COM
1. probity, uprightness. 3. deference, homage; reverence, veneration. 5. distinction. 13. esteem, venerate.

Synonym study

1. 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. 3. 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.

Antonyms for honor

1. dishonor, dishonesty.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for do the honors

honor

noun, verb

the US spelling of honour
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
Word Origin and History for do the honors

honor

n.

c.1200, "glory, renown, fame earned," from Anglo-French honour, Old French honor (Modern French honneur), from Latin honorem (nominative honos, later honor) "honor, dignity, office, reputation," of unknown origin. Till 17c., honour and honor were equally frequent; the former now preferred in England, the latter in U.S. by influence of Noah Webster's spelling reforms. Meaning "a woman's chastity" first attested late 14c. Honors "distinction in scholarship" attested by 1782. Honor roll in the scholastic sense attested by 1872. To do the honors (1650s) originally meant the customary civilities and courtesies at a public entertainment, etc.

honor

v.

mid-13c., honuren, "to do honor to," from Old French honorer, from Latin honorare, from honor (see honor (n.)). In the commercial sense of "accept a bill due, etc.," it is recorded from 1706. Related: Honored; honoring.

A custom more honoured in the breach than the observance. Whoever will look up the passage (Hamlet I. iv. 16) will see that it means, beyond a doubt, a custom that one deserves more honour for breaking than for keeping: but it is often quoted in the wrong & very different sense of a dead letter or rule more often broken than kept. [Fowler]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with do the honors

do the honors

Act as a host or hostess, performing introductions and otherwise attending to guests. For example, At home Mary leaves it to Bill to do the honors when they have guests. This expression uses honors in the sense of “courtesy.” [Mid-1600s]

honor

In addition to the idiom beginning with honor

  • honor bound

also see:

  • do the honors
  • in honor of
  • on one's honor
  • word of honor
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.