honour

[[t]ɒ̱nə(r)[/t]]

♦♦♦

honours, honouring, honoured

(in AM, use honor)

1) N-UNCOUNT Honour means doing what you believe to be right and being confident that you have done what is right.

The officers died faithful to Poland and to the honour of a soldier...

I do not believe I can any longer serve with honour as a member of your government.

2) N-COUNT An honour is a special award that is given to someone, usually because they have done something good or because they are greatly respected.

Most of the high honours usually go to long-serving MPs loyal to the government...

He was showered with honours - among them an Oscar in 1950.

3) VERB: usu passive If someone is honoured, they are given public praise or an award for something they have done.

[be V-ed] Two American surgeons were last week honoured with the 1990 Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology...

[be V-ed] Mr Reddy has been honoured by the Pope by being made a knight of St Gregory.

4) N-SING: oft N of -ing, it v-link N to-inf If you describe doing or experiencing something as an honour, you mean you think it is something special and desirable.

Five other cities including Manchester had been competing for the honour of staging the Games...

Tchaikovsky was given a state funeral - the first commoner to be granted this honour...

Michael said: `It's an honour to finally work with her.'...

Perhaps as it is so close to noon, you would do me the honour of having lunch with me.

5) V-PASSIVE (politeness) If you say that you would be honoured to do something, you are saying very politely and formally that you would be pleased to do it. If you say that you are honoured by something, you are saying that you are grateful for it and pleased about it.

[be V-ed to-inf] Peter Alliss says he would be honoured to be asked...

[be V-ed] It's a very flattering offer, and I'm honoured by your confidence in me.

6) VERB To honour someone means to treat them or regard them with special attention and respect.

[V n with n] Her Majesty later honoured the Headmaster with her presence at lunch...

[V n] Those right-wing people who most honour their monarch see no reason for any apology.

Derived words:

honoured ADJ-GRADED ADJ n

Mrs Patrick Campbell was an honoured guest.

7) VERB If you honour an arrangement or promise, you do what you said you would do.

[V n] The two sides agreed to honour a new ceasefire...

[V n] Mr Ashkenazy has informed us that he will be unable to honour his contract with Symphony Hall to perform the piano recital.

8) N-UNCOUNT: usu N n Honours is a type of university degree which is of a higher standard than a pass or ordinary degree.

...an honours degree in business studies.

9) N-VOC: poss N; PRON: poss PRON Judges, and mayors in the United States, are sometimes called your honour or referred to as his honour or her honour.

I bring this up, your honor, because I think it is important to understand the background of the defendant.

...His Honour Judge Brodrick.

10) → See also , lap of honour, maid of honour

11) PHRASE: V inflects If someone does the honours at a social occasion or public event, they act as host or perform some official function. [INFORMAL]

The two teams were introduced to the dignitaries with Lord Haslam of British Coal doing the honours.

12) PHR-PREP If something is arranged in honour of a particular event, it is arranged in order to celebrate that event.

The Foundation is holding a dinner at the Museum of American Art in honour of the opening of their new show.

13) PHRASE: n PHR, PHR after v, PHR with cl If something is arranged or happens in someone's honour, it is done specially to show appreciation of them.

Mr Mandela will attend an outdoor concert in his honour in the centre of Paris...

The United Nations has issued a stamp in honour of Captain Alfred Dreyfus.