honor
Americannoun
-
honors
plural
-
honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions.
a man of honor.
- Synonyms:
- uprightness, probity
- Antonyms:
- dishonesty, dishonor
-
a source of credit or distinction.
to be an honor to one's family.
-
high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank.
to be held in honor.
- Synonyms:
- veneration, reverence, homage, deference
-
such respect manifested.
a memorial in honor of the dead.
-
high public esteem; fame; glory.
He has earned his position of honor.
- Synonyms:
- distinction
-
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.
-
Usually honors. evidence, as a special ceremony, decoration, scroll, or title, of high rank, dignity, or distinction.
political honors;
military honors.
-
Honor, a deferential title of respect, especially for judges and mayors (preceded by His, Her, Your, etc.).
-
honors,
-
special rank or distinction conferred by a university, college, or school upon a student for eminence in scholarship or success in some particular subject.
-
an advanced course of study for superior students.
-
-
especially historically, chastity or purity in a woman.
-
Also called honor card. Cards.
-
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.
-
Whist. any of the four highest trump cards, as an ace, king, queen, or jack in the trump suit.
-
-
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)
-
honors,
present (3rd person singular)
-
honored,
past participle, past
-
honoring
present participle
-
to hold in honor or high respect; revere.
to honor one's parents.
-
to treat with honor.
-
to confer honor or distinction upon.
The university honored her with its leadership award.
-
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.
-
to show a courteous regard for.
to honor an invitation.
-
Commerce. to accept or pay (a draft, check, etc.).
All credit cards are honored here.
-
to accept as valid and conform to the request or demands of (an official document).
-
(in square dancing) to meet or salute with a bow.
adjective
idioms
-
do honor to,
-
to show respect to.
-
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.
-
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
-
honorernoun
-
overhonorverb (used with object)
-
rehonorverb (used with object)
-
honorlessadjective
-
self-honoredadjective
-
unhonoredadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
honorsimple
-
honorssimple
-
have honoredperfect
-
has honoredperfect
-
am honoringprogressive
-
are honoringprogressive
-
is honoringprogressive
-
have been honoringperfect progressive
-
has been honoringperfect progressive
Past
-
honoredsimple
-
had honoredperfect
-
was honoringprogressive
-
were honoringprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
A Graduation Lexicon
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
And the company must honor eligible “price for life” service agreements held by some residential subscribers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Congress shouldn’t honor the first Roosevelt lesson by forgetting the second.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Here, to be chaotic and colorful is a badge of honor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
She wrote on X following the president's announcement that her job has been "the honor and adventure of a lifetime".
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
In Grandma’s eyes, we were Ghanaian, and we should honor that heritage every day of our lives.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
"Owning the Los Angeles Lakers has been one of the great honors of my life," said Walter.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Bueckers has since earned Rookie of the Year as well as All-Star honors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
He added that the community, too, “is engaged to ensure a project that honors the past, respects the present, and sustains our future.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s financial statements show he has reported accepting honors gala tickets from CBS or its parent company eight times since his 2017 appointment to the commission, totaling over $75,000 in gifts.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
The Army saw to it that William was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
“I would feel so honored if someone got married during my set,” said the 29-year-old artist, whose songs include “Crash My Car For You.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
In 2018, the California League of Cities honored Adelkoff for her work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Other journalists who will be honored alongside Assi include Hungary's Szabolcs Panyi, who investigated former prime minister Viktor Orban, and Colombia's Estefany Rodriguez, who was detained by US immigration officers while working in March.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
He was honored for hitting more home runs than any other second baseman in MLB history and driving in more than 100 runs eight times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
We'd previously honored Marian Wright Edelman, the heroic civil rights lawyer and founder of the Children's Defense Fund.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Actor and Tibetan activist Richard Gere headlined an hourslong Times Square rally on Saturday honoring Lobga where many wore T-shirts depicting him as a martyr surrounded by flames.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Laura is the recipient of the Gerald Loeb award for deadline reporting and the New York Women in Communications, Inc. Matrix Award in the newspaper category, honoring her achievements in journalism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
The name gallium comes from Gaul, the ancient Latin name for France, honoring the nationality of its discoverer.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
“We’re so delighted to have her join us as the host of this year’s Emmys telecast and know that she will create an unforgettable evening honoring the very best of television.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
At first, most Americans believed that if an exposition honoring the deepest roots of the nation were to be held anywhere, the site should be Washington, the capital.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
