honor Hear it!

honor Definition

honor (än′ər)

noun

  1. high regard or great respect given, received, or enjoyed; esp.,
    1. glory; fame; renown
    2. good reputation; credit
  2. a keen sense of right and wrong; adherence to action or principles considered right; integrity to conduct oneself with honor
    1. chastity or purity
    2. reputation for chastity
  4. high rank or position; distinction; dignity the great honor of the presidency
  5. a title of respect given to certain officials, as judges: preceded by Your or by His or Her
  6. something done or given as a token or act of respect; specif.,
    1. Obsolete a curtsy; bow
    2. a social courtesy or privilege may I have the honor of this dance?
    3. a badge, token, decoration, etc. given to a person
    4. public acts or ceremonies of respect buried with full military honors
    5. special distinction or credit given to students, esp. at commencement, for high academic achievement
    6. an advanced course of study in place of or in addition to the regular course, for exceptional students Honors English
  7. a person or thing that brings respect and fame to a school, country, etc.
  8. Bridge
    1. any of the five highest cards in a suit
    2. all, or any four, of the five highest cards of the trump suit or, in a no-trump hand, the four aces
  9. Golf the privilege of driving first from the tee

Etymology: ME honour < OFr < L honor, honos, official dignity, repute, esteem

transitive verb

  1. to respect greatly; regard highly; esteem
  2. to show great respect or high regard for; treat with deference and courtesy
  3. to worship (a deity)
  4. to do or give something in honor of
    1. to accept and pay when due to honor a check
    2. to carry out the terms of to honor a treaty obligation
    3. to accept as valid, good for credit, etc. a store that honors most credit cards
  6. to make a bow to in square dancing

adjective

of or showing honor honor roll

honor Idioms

do honor to

  1. to show great respect for
  2. to bring or cause honor to

do the honors

to act as host or hostess, esp. by making introductions, proposing toasts, serving at table, etc.

honor bright

Informal honestly; truthfully

in honor of

as a token of respect for

on one's honor

or upon one's honor

staking one's good name or one's truthfulness, trustworthiness, or reliability

honor Synonyms

honor

n.

  1. Respect

    reverence, esteem, worship, adoration, veneration, high reward, trust, faith, confidence, recognition, praise, attention, deference, notice, consideration, renown, reputation, repute, homage, account, laurel, elevation, approbation, wreath, credit, eulogium, adulation, laud, tribute, celebration, exaltation, good report, apotheosis, lionization, immortalization, fealty, mark of approval, deification, dignification, glorification, canonization, aggrandizement, righteousness; see also admiration.

    Antonyms opprobrium, disgrace*, disrepute.

  2. Glory

    exaltation, greatness, renown; see fame 1.

  3. Integrity

    courage, character, truthfulness; see honesty 1.

honor implies popular acknowledgment of a person's right to great respect as well as any expression of such respect in honor of the martyred dead; homage suggests great esteem shown in praise, tributes, or obeisance to pay homage to the genius of Bach; reverence implies deep respect together with love he held her memory in reverence; deference suggests a display of courteous regard for a superior, or for one to whom respect is due, by yielding to the person's status, claims, or wishes in deference to his age

do honor to

show respect for, please, bring honor to; see honorv.

do the honors

act as host or hostess, present, host; see serve 1.

on one's honor

by one's faith, on one's word, staking one's good name; see sincerely.

honor Synonyms

honor

v.

  1. To treat with respect

    worship, sanctify, venerate; see praise 1.

  2. To recognize worth

    esteem, value, look up to; see admire 1.

  3. To recognize as valid

    clear, pass, accept; see acknowledge 2.

Honor Synonyms

Honor

n.

Excellency, Lordship, Majesty, Honorable Sir, Reverence, Justice, Governor; see also judge 1.

honor Usage Examples

Object

  • attendee: Bridesmaid's gifts are a popular item among wedding parties and the brides honored attendees.
  • toy: According to Tom Conley, president of TIA, the T.O.T.Y. Awards honor the best toys and games for consumers in the United States.
  • bride: Bridesmaid's gifts are a popular item among wedding parties and the brides honored attendees.
  • tradition: In the time honored best man tradition, I am supposed to give Todd the most uncomfortable 5 minutes of his life.
  • guest: Each person there made us feel like an honored guest.
  • hero: They will teach children to honor the heroes of peace above the heroes of war.

Converse of object

  • defend: Need I come here from Chicago to defend the honor of your state?
  • receive: The young people will also receive the honor of having the fifty winning poems published in a booklet.

Adjective modifier

  • dubious: But I just may hold the dubious honor of the all time greatest moment in club breaking history.
  • great: It was a great honor for us to receive such an award.
  • high: The elves have accorded you a high honor; a place on the last ship to leave Middle Earth.

Modifies a noun

  • hachem: Agreement on that point citizens in the of honor hachem.
  • killing: He frequently took on cases involving custody disputes and honor killings.
  • violation: Title: Re: Non-payment of debt honor code violation?
  • roll: I am a very dilligent student and have never once been off of the honor roll.

Modifying Another Word

  • deeply: It feels great and am deeply honored that the locals still stand for my nonsense.

Noun used with modifier

  • mine: No by mine honor, but I was bid to come for you Ros.

Preposition: with

  • award: His performance there was honored with the award of the knight's cross of the Order of Leopold on the 18th of October 1902.
  • title: On the 9th of April 1917 GdI Trollmann was honored with the title of Geheimer Rat ( Privy Councilor ).