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

He is expected to conduct "very little public-facing activity" before leaving the post, the statement said, adding that he "plans to honour a small number of remaining commitments".

From BBC

"It was going to be more about honouring her legacy and her memory, saying that her final work was completed and that began to change my mind on things," he added.

From BBC

A well-known figure in Northern Ireland, he was honoured by Queen’s University earlier this year for his contribution to journalism.

From BBC

Djokovic, meanwhile, was among those to leave a video message for Nadal, saying: "I have been very honoured and thrilled to be called your rival".

From BBC

It was here, in 2017, that Xi hosted Trump, bestowing on his guest an honour not granted to any US president since the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

From BBC