on principle

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On moral or ethical grounds. As James Russell Lowell wrote about Alexander Pope in 1871, “There was a time when I could not read Pope, but disliked him on principle.” [First half of 1800s]

According to a fixed rule or practice. For example, The police were locking up the demonstrators on principle. [First half of 1800s]

on general principle. For no special reason, in general, as in Dean won't touch broccoli on general principle. [First half of 1800s]

QUIZ

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Words nearby on principle

on order, on pain of, on paper, on-peak, on pins and needles, on principle, on purpose, ONR, on-ramp, on-record, on relief

How to use on principle in a sentence

Just the hard-on before you shoot unarmed members of the public.
'Babylon' Review: The Dumb Lives of Trigger-Happy Cops|Melissa Leon|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Three on-the-record stories from a family: a mother and her daughters who came from Phoenix.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
You just travel light with carry-on luggage, go to cities that you love, and get to hang out with all your friends.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It was a brick wall that we turned into the on-ramp of a highway.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Could the (thus far) timid trembling give way to a full-on, grand mal seizure?
26 Earthquakes Later, Fracking’s Smoking Gun Is in Texas|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Many so-called "humming tones" are given for practice, but in accepting them observe whether the foregoing principle is obeyed.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
The grand thing is to have each of your five fingers go "dum, dum," an equal number of times, which is the principle of all three!
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
I drew back from the rim of Writing-On-the-Stone, that set of whispered phrases echoing in my ears.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
He had hitherto lived for universal man:—his days should terminate on a different principle.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
The gauge of railways in Great Britain was not fixed upon any scientific principle.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow