2 ADJ [ADJ n] Honorary is used to describe an official job that is done without payment. □ …the honorary secretary of the Cheshire Beekeepers' Association.
ho n|or guard N‑SING An honor guard is a group of troops who formally greet or accompany someone special such as a visiting head of state. [AM ] in BRIT, use guard of honour
hon|or|if|ic /ɒ nər I f I k/ ADJ [ADJ n] An honorific title or way of talking is used to show respect or honour to someone. [FORMAL ] □ He was given the honorific title of national chairman.
hon|our ◆◇◇ /ɒ nə r / (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. □ 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. □ He was showered with honours–among them an Oscar.
3 VERB [usu passive] If someone is honoured , they are given public praise or an award for something they have done. □ [be V -ed] The director was honoured with a Bafta Fellowship.
4 N‑SING If you describe doing or experiencing something as an honour , you mean you think it is something special and desirable. □ [+ of ] Five other cities had been competing for the honour of staging the Games.
5 V-PASSIVE 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. [POLITENESS ] □ [be V -ed to-inf] I would be honoured to play for a club like Everton. □ [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 ] 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. ● hon|oured ADJ [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.
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‑COUNT Judges, and mayors in the United States, are sometimes called your honour or referred to as his honour or her honour . □ I have no further questions, your honour.
10 → see also guest of honour , lap of honour , maid of honour
11 PHRASE If someone does the honours at a social occasion or public event, they act as host or perform some official function. [INFORMAL ] □ A well-known television personality did the honours at the official opening of the show.
12 PHRASE 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 If something is arranged or happens in someone's honour , it is done specially to show appreciation of them. □ He will attend an outdoor concert in his honour in the centre of Paris. SYNONYMS honour NOUN 1
integrity: I have always regarded him as a man of integrity.
morality: …standards of morality and justice in society.
decency: His sense of decency forced him to resign. VERB 6
respect: I want him to respect me as a career woman.
esteem: I greatly esteem your message in the midst of our hard struggle.
admire: He admired the way she had coped with life.
revere: Today he's still revered as the father of the nation.
hon|our|able /ɒ nrəb ə l/ in AM, use honorable 1 ADJ If you describe people or actions as honourable , you mean that they are good and deserve to be respected and admired. □ I believe he was an honourable man, dedicated to the people and his union. □ However, their intentions are honourable. ● hon|our|ably /ɒ nrəbli/ ADV [usu ADV with v] □ He also felt she had not behaved honorably in the leadership election.
2 ADJ Honourable is used as a title before the names of some members of the nobility, judges, and some other officials. □ …the Honourable Mr Justice Swinton Thomas.
hon|our|able me n|tion (honourable mentions ) in AM, use honorable mention N‑COUNT If something that you do in a competition is given an honourable mention , it receives special praise from the judges although it does not actually win a prize.
ho n|ours list (honours lists ) N‑COUNT In Britain, the honours list is the list of people who have been selected to receive titles or awards from the Queen because of their achievements. □ He has been made an MBE in the New Year Honours list.
Hons /ɒ nz/ In Britain, Hons is an abbreviation for honours , used after the names of some university degrees, mainly first degrees. □ …Kevin P Kearns, BA (Hons), University of Liverpool.
hooch /huː tʃ/ N‑UNCOUNT Hooch is strong alcoholic drink. [INFORMAL ]