honour
Verbhonours, honouring, honoured
Noun pluralhonours
US spellinghonor
Formshonours, honouring, honoured
Pluralhonours
- 1To hold someone or something in high regard, or to show great respect for them, recognising their importance or spiritual value.
Children are taught to honour their parents and grandparents.
The memorial honours the men of the village who died in both world wars.
UsageBritish English keeps the u in every form: honoured, honouring. American English usually writes honor, honored.
Similarrespect, revere, commemorate, esteem, venerate
Oppositedisrespect, despise
- 2To give someone an award, title or privilege as a mark of respect.
The university will honour three local teachers at its summer ceremony.
The singer was honoured with a knighthood for services to music.
UsageUsually be honoured with an award, often for what someone has done: honoured with a knighthood for services to music.
- 3An award, title or other mark of praise or respect, such as one given by the state to a citizen.
The scientist received an honour from the King for her work on vaccines.
He was buried with full military honours.
UsageOften plural for a whole ceremony: buried with full military honours.
Similaraward, distinction, accolade, decoration
Note
The honours a state gives are often announced in batches: in Britain chiefly in two lists a year, at the New Year and on the monarch's official birthday in June, with occasional special lists in between. The plural also has a ceremonial life of its own, as in military honours and civic honours, where it names the whole show of respect rather than any single award.
Checked 4 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Honours are often announced in batches, but individual announcements are also possible, including in Britain. researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk
- Britain's two main annual honours lists appear at New Year and on the monarch's official birthday in June. gov.uk
- Additional special honours lists are sometimes issued. gov.uk
- 4A privilege that brings respect or distinction to the person who is given it.
It was a great honour to be asked to captain the side.
We had the honour of meeting the Prime Minister at Downing Street.
UsageIt's an honour to do something, or you have the honour of doing it. The h is silent: an honour (not
incorrect: a honour).Similarprivilege, pleasure, distinction
- 5The esteem in which a person is held: the respect and high regard others give them for their worth, usually their good character or success, rather than any particular award or title.
A minute's silence was held in honour of the firefighters who died.
The old doctor was treated with great honour by everyone in the village.
UsageUsually in honour of someone or something: a minute's silence in honour of the firefighters.
Similarrespect, esteem, regard, reverence
Oppositedisrespect, contempt
Note
This is honour paid to a person from outside, where honour of character is something a person has. The King James Bible of 1611 gives this sense its proverb: a prophet is not without honour, save in his own country.
- 6Moral uprightness and nobility of character, together with the good reputation and dignity that come from being seen to have it.
She turned down the bribe because her honour mattered more to her than money.
He felt that the newspaper story had stained his family's honour.
UsageCommon in a man or woman of honour and on my honour, a promise that you are telling the truth.
Similarintegrity, dignity, reputation, decency, honesty
- 7To keep to the terms of an agreement, treaty, promise, request or similar, acting as it requires.
The company refused to honour the contract once prices began to rise.
Most apps now honour the text size you choose in your phone's settings.
UsageUsually honour a promise, contract or agreement. The opposite is to break it.
- 8A bachelor's degree of a higher standard than an ordinary or pass degree, in the UK awarded in classes such as a first or upper second; also the course leading to one.
She graduated with honours in chemistry from Edinburgh.
He is reading for an honours degree in history at Leeds.
UsageUsually no article: graduated with honours, took honours in history. The s stays before a noun: an honours degree.
Less common meanings
- 9To pay out the sum due on a cheque, banker's draft or similar document when it is presented.
The bank refused to honour the cheque because the account was empty.
Her cheques had been honoured for months before anyone noticed the overdraft.
UsageUsually honour a cheque. A cheque the bank will not pay bounces.
Oppositebounce
- 10A person or thing whose excellence brings respect and fame to those connected with it.
She was an honour to her school and to everyone who had taught her.
The restored cathedral is an honour to the city.
UsageUsually an honour to a group or place: an honour to her school.
Oppositedisgrace, embarrassment
- 11In golf, the right to hit first from the tee, which normally goes to the player or side that did best on the previous hole.
After winning the third hole, Rory had the honour on the fourth tee.
It's your honour, so go ahead and tee off.
UsageIn golf it is usually singular: a player has the honour, or it's their honour.
Note
The order on the first tee is settled by agreement or a draw. After that, the honour normally passes to the player or side that did best on the hole just played, but holding on to it need not mean being ahead overall.
- 12The privilege of being the one who goes first.
You found the path, so you can have the honours and lead the way.
As our guest, you should have the honours and choose the first song.
UsageUsually have the honours, with an s and the: you can have the honours and go first.
Note
It is a friendly way of offering another person the first go, whether at a door, a cake or a task. Golf keeps its own version of the idea in the singular, the honour on the tee.
- 13Used as an oath to affirm that one is telling the truth, or to ask someone to answer on their honour.
“Not a ha’porth. Different gangs and different ships. He was tried again for prison breaking, and got made a Lifer.” “And was that—Honour!—the only time you worked out, in this part of the country?” “The only time.”
1861, Charles Dickens, Great ExpectationsNote
An oath dropped into the middle of talk to vouch for what is being asked or said, much as people now say honestly or on my honour. In Dickens's Great Expectations (1861) a question breaks off for it: was that, Honour!, the only time. To a modern ear the bare exclamation sounds old-fashioned; the full phrase on my honour is the form still in use.
Checked 4 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- Great Expectations is by Charles Dickens. en.wikipedia.org
- 1861 is the first book publication year; serialization began in 1860. en.wikipedia.org
- The quoted words occur in a question interrupted by ‘Honour!’; the speaker is an unnamed convict addressing another convict. en.wikisource.org
- The historical interjection appeals to honour to insist on truthfulness. en.wiktionary.org
- 14In bridge, any of the five top cards from ace down to ten, especially in trumps; in some other games, any card from ace to jack.
Holding only one honour in spades, he decided to pass.
She opened the bidding with four honours in her hand.
Note
In rubber bridge the honours are not only strong cards but a source of points: a partnership earns a bonus when one player is dealt four or all five trump honours, or all four aces in a no-trump contract. Duplicate bridge ignores them. In whist, the older game, the run of honours stops at the jack.
Checked 4 Nov 2026 · 6 facts
- In rubber bridge, four trump honours held by one player earn that player's partnership a bonus. acbl.org
- All five trump honours held by one player earn that player's partnership a bonus. cdn.acbl.org
- Holding all four aces in one hand earns an honours bonus in a no-trump contract. en.wikipedia.org
- Duplicate bridge does not award honours bonuses. acbl.org
- Whist predates bridge. en.wikipedia.org
- Whist honours comprise the ace, king, queen and jack of trumps. gutenberg.org
- 15In mahjong, any of the dragon tiles or wind tiles.
- 16In feudal law, a great lordship held from the king, on which a number of lesser lordships and manors depended.
- 17In heraldry, the point at the centre of the upper half of a shield bearing a coat of arms.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
From Middle English honour, honor, from Anglo-Norman honour and Old French honor, from Latin honor. It replaced Middle English menske ("honour, dignity"), from Old Norse; the verb comes from Middle English honouren.
Checked 4 Nov 2026 · 7 facts
- Honour derives from Middle English honour, honor. en.wiktionary.org
- The Middle English word derives from Anglo-Norman honour and Old French honor. en.wiktionary.org
- The French word derives from Latin honor. en.wiktionary.org
- Honour displaced Middle English menske. en.wiktionary.org
- Middle English menske meant honour or dignity. en.wiktionary.org
- Middle English menske derives from Old Norse. en.wiktionary.org
- The verb honour derives from Middle English honouren. en.wiktionary.org