honor
Americannoun
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honors
plural
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honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions.
a man of honor.
- Synonyms:
- uprightness, probity
- Antonyms:
- dishonesty, dishonor
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a source of credit or distinction.
to be an honor to one's family.
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high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank.
to be held in honor.
- Synonyms:
- veneration, reverence, homage, deference
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such respect manifested.
a memorial in honor of the dead.
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high public esteem; fame; glory.
He has earned his position of honor.
- Synonyms:
- distinction
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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.
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Usually honors. evidence, as a special ceremony, decoration, scroll, or title, of high rank, dignity, or distinction.
political honors;
military honors.
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Honor, a deferential title of respect, especially for judges and mayors (preceded by His, Her, Your, etc.).
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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.
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an advanced course of study for superior students.
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especially historically, chastity or purity in a woman.
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Also called honor card. Cards.
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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.
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Whist. any of the four highest trump cards, as an ace, king, queen, or jack in the trump suit.
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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)
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honors,
present (3rd person singular)
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honored,
past participle, past
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honoring
present participle
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to hold in honor or high respect; revere.
to honor one's parents.
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to treat with honor.
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to confer honor or distinction upon.
The university honored her with its leadership award.
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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.
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to show a courteous regard for.
to honor an invitation.
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Commerce. to accept or pay (a draft, check, etc.).
All credit cards are honored here.
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to accept as valid and conform to the request or demands of (an official document).
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(in square dancing) to meet or salute with a bow.
adjective
idioms
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do honor to,
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to show respect to.
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to be a credit to.
Such good students would do honor to any teacher.
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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.
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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
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honorernoun
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overhonorverb (used with object)
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rehonorverb (used with object)
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honorlessadjective
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self-honoredadjective
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unhonoredadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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honorsimple
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honorssimple
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have honoredperfect
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has honoredperfect
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am honoringprogressive
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are honoringprogressive
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is honoringprogressive
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have been honoringperfect progressive
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has been honoringperfect progressive
Past
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honoredsimple
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had honoredperfect
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was honoringprogressive
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were honoringprogressive
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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
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A Graduation Lexicon
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"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
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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:
The monarch inspected a guard of honor before travelling to Georgetown, where he attended a state reception at the presidential palace.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
It will also honor the Customs and Excise Agreement with the UK and continue to apply the cut in fuel duty, by 5p per litre, until 30 June 2027.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
“He truly loved life and lived it to the fullest — that’s how we want to honor him.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Military fatigues are worn like a badge of honor in Jerusalem’s historic center, where young recruits sling automatic weapons over their shoulders.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
The French name for the wood, Bois de Belleau, was later changed to Bois de la Brigade Marine, in honor of the Americans who fought and died there.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
A group portrait honors Black Red Cross nurses, who had long been excluded from training programs and were recruited during labor shortages toward the end of World War I.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
He quickly established himself as one of the league’s promising young players, earning NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2021.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
The organization’s Susan Saint James Leadership Award honors individuals who “embody her remarkable spirit of leadership, generosity, and dedication to our mission,” the post said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Bojan is the only foreign recipient of the Werner Holzer Award, which honors the work of German foreign correspondents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
I handed the card over to Vonetta, who did the honors and read the poem out loud in her poetry-reciting voice.
From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia
Her formal name, “Liberty Enlightening the World,” honored the American Revolution, which France backed with money, ships and soldiers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
"I didn't ask for the endorsement. I was surprised to get it, very honored to get it," Hilton said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
She says she honored him by caring for him and that I’m discounting everything she sacrificed.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
After all, Scharf was one of the honored guests at her wedding.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
“I’d be honored if you would be my daughter for this wedding. My daughter, and my maid of honor.”
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
Taking the extra step of honoring the other person’s autonomy will help you get even more—a genuine, voluntary “yes.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
“It’s a way to highlight these pieces by not being so serious, while still honoring them.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Then there was last Thursday’s lavish White House dinner honoring Xi Jinping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
AEW owner Tony Khan posted a message on X honoring Satterley.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Meanwhile, the Meecham children were honoring a secret tradition among themselves.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
