honour

[ on-er ]

noun

, Chiefly British.

1. honor.

Honour

¹

/ ˈɒnə /

noun

1. preceded byYour, His, or Her
   1. a title used to or of certain judges
   2. (in Ireland) a form of address in general use

honour

²

/ ˈɒnə /

noun

1. personal integrity; allegiance to moral principles
2. 1. fame or glory
   2. a person or thing that wins this for another

      he is an honour to the school

3. often plural great respect, regard, esteem, etc, or an outward sign of this
4. often plural high or noble rank
5. a privilege or pleasure

   it is an honour to serve you

6. a woman's virtue or chastity
7. 1. bridge poker any of the top five cards in a suit or any of the four aces at no trumps
   2. whist any of the top four cards
8. golf the right to tee off first
9. do honour to
   1. to pay homage to
   2. to be a credit to
10. do the honours
    1. to serve as host or hostess
    2. to perform a social act, such as carving meat, proposing a toast, etc
11. honour bright slang:school.
    an exclamation pledging honour
12. in honour bound
    under a moral obligation
13. in honour of
    out of respect for
14. on one's honour or upon one's honour
    on the pledge of one's word or good name

verb

1. to hold in respect or esteem
2. to show courteous behaviour towards
3. to worship
4. to confer a distinction upon
5. to accept and then pay when due (a cheque, draft, etc)
6. to keep (one's promise); fulfil (a previous agreement)
7. to bow or curtsy to (one's dancing partner)

Spelling Note

See -or ¹.

Derived Forms

• ˈhonourless, adjective
• ˈhonourer, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of honour¹

C12: from Old French onor, from Latin honor esteem

Example Sentences

On Monday, King Hamad arrived in a horse and carriage at Windsor Castle, receiving a Royal Salute from a Guard of Honour.

From BBC

"I feel as though actually I’ve probably been in training for life for this so yes, it'd be a huge honour. I don't know if it's the toughest race I've ever run, but it's the one I'm best prepared for."

From BBC

"But it's a huge honour. Every time that I come back and play on this tour, I'm proud to be a member and proud to support it as much as I can. If I was to win the Race to Dubai for a sixth time, that would be a really cool achievement."

From BBC

"Grimm is a Marine veteran, and as we honour our nation's service members this Veteran’s Day, I hope for a full and speedy recovery," he wrote on X.

From BBC

It is my duty to honour my constitutional and church responsibilities, so exact timings will be decided once a review of necessary obligations has been completed, including those in England and in the Anglican Communion.

From BBC