honor

Formshonors, honoring, honored

Pluralhonors (some meanings)

1. 1
   show respectverbtransitive

   To show respect or recognition for someone or something, especially publicly or by giving an award, privilege, or distinction.

   Communities honor their elders through ceremonies and gifts.

   The festival honors a saint revered for centuries.

   UsageOften passive: honored for years of service, honored with a medal.

   Similarcelebrate, commemorate, respect, recognize, revere

   Oppositedishonor, disgrace, insult

   Note

   The verb has its own Middle English source, honouren. Source

   Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • The verb honor derives from Middle English honouren. en.wiktionary.org
2. 2
   noununcountable

   Recognition of someone's importance or worth, expressed through respect or deep veneration.

   A monument was raised in honor of the city's founders.

   The ceremony paid honor to lifelong volunteers.

   UsageSet phrases: in honor of someone, pay honor to someone.

   Similartribute, homage, respect, recognition, reverence

   Oppositedishonor, disrespect, contempt, scorn

   Note

   This is honor that others give, as opposed to honor as character. The word is Latin, reaching English through Anglo-Norman and Old French and displacing Middle English menske, a borrowing from Old Norse. Tennyson's ode on the Duke of Wellington (1852) chants it four times running, as pure public acclaim. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 6 facts

   • Honor derives from Latin through Old French, Anglo-Norman and Middle English. en.wiktionary.org
   • Honor displaced Middle English menske. en.wiktionary.org
   • Middle English menske was borrowed from Old Norse. en.wiktionary.org
   • Tennyson wrote the ode on the Duke of Wellington, first published in 1852. upload.wikimedia.org
   • The ode's first-edition title page bears the year 1852. upload.wikimedia.org
   • The poem repeats honour four times consecutively as public acclaim. upload.wikimedia.org
3. 3
   privilegenouncountable or uncountable

   A privilege that brings pride and a sense of being respected to the person who experiences it.

   Being chosen to lead the team was a real honor.

   She considered it an honor to serve on the council.

   UsagePatterns: it is an honor to meet you, have the honor of introducing someone.

   Similarprivilege, pleasure, distinction, compliment

   Oppositedisgrace, insult, embarrassment, indignity

   Note

   The speaker is the one who feels the privilege, so saying "It was an honor" works as a courtesy toward someone else, such as an ambassador one dined with.

4. 4
   awardnouncountable

   An award, prize, or token given to recognize praiseworthy achievement, often bestowed by a state on a citizen.

   The scientist received the nation's highest honor for her discovery.

   Over her long career, the scientist collected many honors, including two national awards for her research.

   UsageCommon patterns: receive an honor, receive many honors, the nation's highest honor.

   Similaraward, accolade, distinction, decoration, prize

   Note

   This honor is a thing you can count, pin on, or wear on the breast, unlike honor as respect. In the British system such honors are announced twice a year, at the New Year and on the monarch's official birthday in June. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • The regular British honours lists are announced twice yearly, at New Year and the monarch’s official birthday. questions-statements.parliament.uk
   • The monarch’s official birthday associated with the British Birthday Honours is in June. gov.uk
5. 5
   good characternoununcountable

   Moral uprightness and excellence of character, together with the good reputation and dignity that virtue earns.

   A man of honor keeps his word even when no one is watching.

   She acted with honor throughout the long and bitter dispute.

   UsageCommon phrases: a person of honor, act with honor, on my honor (I promise).

   Similarintegrity, principle, decency, dignity, virtue

   Oppositedishonor, disgrace, shame, dishonesty

   Note

   Here honor is something a person has, not something given. Honor paid by others is the outward face of it. The word holds both the virtue and the reputation for it. That is why honor can be unstained, and why it sits beside chivalry in the language of knighthood. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

   • Honor is associated with chivalry and the ideals of knighthood. en.wikipedia.org
6. 6
   keep a promiseverbtransitive

   To act in accordance with an agreement, promise, treaty, or request, doing what it requires.

   Both nations agreed to honor the ceasefire.

   The company honored its warranty without complaint.

   UsageUsual objects: honor a promise, an agreement, a contract, a warranty.

   Similarkeep, fulfill, observe, respect, uphold

   Oppositebreak, violate, breach, disregard

   Note

   Keeping one's word is the core: a promise, treaty or request is honored when it is carried out. The sense has spread into computing, where software honors a setting by obeying it, or fails to honor the theme colors a user has chosen. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

   • The sense of complying with requirements extends to computing. en.wiktionary.org
7. 7
   university degreenouncountable or uncountableplural

   A university degree or course of study at a higher level than an ordinary degree, or a distinction awarded for high academic achievement.

   Only students with excellent grades qualify for the honors program.

   She completed her degree with first-class honors and a published thesis.

   UsageCommon phrases: graduate with honors, an honors degree, first-class honors.

   Similardistinction

   Note

   The idea comes from British higher education, where honors degrees are classified by rank. American colleges use the same word for their own programs of distinction. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • The honours course and degree system originated in British higher education. sma.prm.ox.ac.uk
   • British honours degrees are classified according to academic achievement. ucl.ac.uk
   • American colleges have their own honors programs derived from the British model. magazine.swarthmore.edu
8. 8
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A source of respect and fame; a glory or distinction; something regarded as an ornament or credit.

   Her fair and fearless reporting made her an honor to her profession.

   The volunteers who rebuilt the school after the flood are an honor to their town.

   Similardistinction, glory, credit, prestige

   Oppositedisgrace, shame, dishonor, discredit

   Note

   Here a person or deed is itself the honor: someone is an honor to their nation. It differs from an award in that nothing is handed over. The credit is the person.

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