honours
honours — noun
1. a personal quality that combines honesty, fairness, and moral strength — the inn
a personal quality that combines honesty, fairness, and moral strength — the inner sense of doing what is right even when nobody is watching.
Suki is a woman of great honour who has never lied to her friends.
honour as personal moral quality
The old headmaster was respected by everyone for his honour and kindness.
The two business partners shook hands and agreed on their honour, without any written contract.
A person’s honour means more to her than money or fame ever could.
Pablo felt that lying to the committee would stain his honour forever.
- integrity
more formal; focuses on consistency of moral principles
- decency
less formal; emphasises basic good behaviour towards others
- uprightness
very formal; moral correctness in all situations
文法句型
honour as abstract quality
用法筆記
Uncountable — do not use with ‘a’ or in plural. This sense is often found in fixed phrases such as ‘a man/woman of honour’ or ‘on my honour’.
常見錯誤
❗ ‘He has many honours.’ (meaning personal integrity). ✅ ‘He is a man of honour.’ — When referring to moral quality, ‘honour’ is uncountable. The plural ‘honours’ means awards or prizes.
2. a special action, ceremony, or event that celebrates someone or expresses great
a special action, ceremony, or event that celebrates someone or expresses great respect for them — for example, naming a building after someone or holding a parade in their honour.
The town built a statue in honour of the nurse who saved many lives.
in honour of — formal expression of respect
A banquet was held in honour of the visiting delegation from Japan.
The children performed a dance in honour of Grandmother’s ninetieth birthday.
Soldiers fired a twenty-one gun salute to pay honour to the fallen hero.
The government renamed the airport in honour of the country’s first female pilot.
- tribute
more concrete — can be a speech, gift, or action
- celebration
focuses on joy and festivity rather than formal respect
- homage
very formal; often used in historical or artistic contexts
- insult
an action that shows disrespect rather than respect
文法句型
in honour of [person/thing]
pay honour to [person]
用法筆記
Most commonly appears in the fixed phrase ‘in honour of’ followed by a noun or noun phrase. ‘Pay honour to’ is more formal and ceremonial.
常見錯誤
❗ ‘I did it for your honour.’ (ambiguous). ✅ ‘I did it in your honour.’ — The correct phrase is ‘in honour of someone’, not ‘for someone’s honour’.
3. a strong moral duty that forces you to act in a certain way because you believe
a strong moral duty that forces you to act in a certain way because you believe it is right, even when you would rather not.
Vikram felt honour-bound to help his colleague finish the report on time.
honour-bound — morally obliged
The soldier considered it his honour to defend the village at any cost.
The witness placed her hand on the Bible and swore on her honour to tell the truth.
The doctor believed it was a point of honour never to abandon a patient.
- obligation
less personal; can be legal or social rather than moral
- duty
stronger; often implies a formal or official responsibility
- moral imperative
very formal; used in philosophical or ethical contexts
文法句型
it is [one’s] honour to [verb]
honour-bound to [verb]
用法筆記
Often occurs in the patterns ‘honour-bound + to-infinitive’ and ‘a/one’s point of honour’. Distinguish from Sense 1 (MORAL QUALITY): Sense 1 is a personal character trait; this sense is about a specific obligation you feel.
常見錯誤
❗ ‘It is my honour to help you.’ (when meaning moral duty). ✅ ‘I am honour-bound to help you.’ — ‘It is my honour’ usually means ‘I am proud to’ (Sense 4), not ‘I am morally obliged to’.
4. someone or something that makes you feel proud and happy because of their achiev
someone or something that makes you feel proud and happy because of their achievements, qualities, or actions — for example, a child who wins a competition is ‘an honour to her family’.
The young swimmer was an honour to her country after winning the gold medal.
an honour to — source of pride for
It was a great honour for Amara to be chosen as the graduation speaker.
great honour — significant source of pride
Having your painting displayed in the national gallery is an honour few receive.
Your hard work and dedication do honour to the whole family name.
It was an honour to work alongside such a brilliant team of scientists.
文法句型
an honour to [noun]
be an honour for [person]
用法筆記
Used in the pattern ‘it is/was an honour + to-infinitive’ to express that you feel proud and privileged. The phrase ‘do honour to’ means ‘bring credit or respect to’.
常見錯誤
❗ ‘He is an honour to me.’ (unnatural). ✅ ‘He is an honour to his family / his country / his profession.’ — The person or group you feel proud of usually follows ‘to’, not ‘to me’.
5. a polite title used when speaking directly to a judge or referring to one in a c
a polite title used when speaking directly to a judge or referring to one in a court of law — similar to ‘Your Majesty’ or ‘Your Excellency’.
“Your Honour, may I approach the witness?” asked the young lawyer.
Your Honour — direct address to a judge
With respect, Your Honour, the evidence does not support that claim.
His Honour the judge will announce the verdict at ten o’clock tomorrow.
The defendant stood up when Her Honour entered the courtroom.
“Thank you, Your Honour,” said Chitra after the judge gave her ruling.
- Your Lordship / Your Ladyship
used in higher English courts, more formal
- Your Worship
used for magistrates in some jurisdictions
文法句型
Your Honour
His / Her Honour
用法筆記
Always capitalised. ‘Your Honour’ is used when speaking directly; ‘His/Her Honour’ is used when referring to the judge in the third person. In Scotland, judges are addressed as ‘My Lord’ or ‘My Lady’ instead.
常見錯誤
❗ ‘Dear Honour’ (writing to a judge). ✅ ‘Your Honour’ — Always use ‘Your Honour’, not ‘Dear Honour’ or ‘Honour’. The word ‘Your’ is required.
6. a public award, prize, or official title given to someone to express admiration
a public award, prize, or official title given to someone to express admiration for their outstanding achievements, service, or bravery.
The scientist received several honours for her work on renewable energy.
honours for — awards recognising achievement
Military honours were presented to the soldiers who had served with courage.
military honours — awards for armed service
Xin received his country’s highest civil honour for his work in education.
Lucia was buried with full military honours at the national cemetery.
- award
more general; not limited to official or state recognition
- medal
more specific; a physical object rather than a title
- decoration
formal; a badge or medal worn on a uniform
文法句型
honours for [achievement]
military / civic honours
用法筆記
Usually used in the plural (‘honours’) to refer to a collection of awards. ‘Full military honours’ is a fixed phrase describing a formal military funeral ceremony.
常見錯誤
❗ ‘He got an honour’ (singular for a medal or title). ✅ ‘He received many honours in his career.’ — While singular ‘an honour’ is possible, the plural ‘honours’ is far more common when referring to tangible awards.
7. a university degree or course of study that is more advanced or specialised than
a university degree or course of study that is more advanced or specialised than a basic degree, usually requiring a final research project or dissertation.
Elena is studying for an honours degree in chemical engineering at Bristol.
honours degree — advanced university qualification
The university offers honours programmes in history, physics, and philosophy.
Students on the honours track must write a ten-thousand-word dissertation.
Hana transferred from the ordinary degree to the honours course after year one.
- BA (Hons)
specific type — Bachelor of Arts with Honours
- BSc (Hons)
specific type — Bachelor of Science with Honours
- ordinary degree
a basic degree without the additional honours requirements
文法句型
honours degree
honours programme
用法筆記
In the UK, an ‘honours degree’ (abbreviated as ‘BA (Hons)’ or ‘BSc (Hons)’) is the standard undergraduate degree. ‘Honours’ here is an attributive noun modifying ‘degree’ or ‘programme’.
常見錯誤
❗ ‘I have an honour degree.’ ✅ ‘I have an honours degree.’ — The form is always ‘honours’ (plural) when used before ‘degree’, never ‘honour degree’.
8. a high level of achievement in a school or university qualification — completing
a high level of achievement in a school or university qualification — completing a course with marks above a certain threshold, showing excellent results.
Zahra passed all her A-level exams with honours, achieving top grades.
with honours — achieving excellent results
Only students who graduate with honours are invited to the special ceremony.
He completed his diploma with honours and won a place at Oxford University.
Rosa worked very hard and graduated with first-class honours in mathematics.
- distinction
can be used for individual subjects or courses; ‘with honours’ is broader
- first-class
specific to the highest band of UK degree classification
- pass
completing without the extra honours-level achievement
文法句型
with honours
graduate with honours
用法筆記
In the UK, ‘with honours’ after a qualification means the student achieved a higher standard than the basic pass level. This differs from the US system where ‘honors’ may refer to special programmes. ‘First-class honours’ (or ‘first’) is the highest classification for a UK honours degree.
常見錯誤
❗ ‘I passed the test with honour.’ (singular). ✅ ‘I passed with honours.’ — The plural form ‘honours’ is used in this fixed expression, even if you only earned one distinction.
9. in golf, the right to hit the ball first from the tee on a particular hole — thi
in golf, the right to hit the ball first from the tee on a particular hole — this privilege goes to the player who won the previous hole.
Emeka had the honour on the seventh hole after his excellent putt on the sixth.
had the honour — golf term for playing first
The honour goes to the player with the lowest score on the last hole.
The golfer held the honour for four holes in a row, driving first each time.
Liam stepped up to the tee with the honour for the final, deciding hole.
文法句型
have the honour
the honour goes to
用法筆記
Golf-specific term used in competitive play. Always used with the definite article: ‘the honour’. Not used in casual golf among beginners.
10. in the card game bridge, any of the four highest-ranking cards — the ace, king,
in the card game bridge, any of the four highest-ranking cards — the ace, king, queen, jack — or the ten, which score bonus points if a player holds a certain number of them.
In bridge, honours are the ace, king, queen, jack, and ten of each suit.
honours in bridge — the five highest cards per suit
Deepa counted four honours in her hand and calculated the bonus points.
A hand with five honours is very powerful and often wins the contract.
The bridge partner whispered that they held three honours between them.
- high cards
less technical; understood by non-bridge players
文法句型
honours as noun in bridge scoring
用法筆記
A technical term specific to the card game bridge. Not understood outside of bridge-playing contexts. The number of honours held affects the scoring of each hand.
honours — verb
1. to show great respect and admiration for someone in a formal or public way, for
to show great respect and admiration for someone in a formal or public way, for example through a ceremony, a speech, or a special event.
The city council honoured Andre with a special ceremony for his years of service.
honour + with + ceremony — prepositional pattern for formal events
A stone monument was built to honour the soldiers who died in the war.
Fatima felt deeply honoured when the university invited her to give a speech.
The school held a special dinner to honour Hana for winning the national science prize.
Every year the town honours the volunteers who help at the local food bank.
- respect
broader, less formal — can apply to anyone or anything without ceremony
- pay tribute to
more formal and specific to public acknowledgment, often at a memorial event
- celebrate
focuses on joyful recognition, not necessarily formal
- dishonour
opposite action — to shame or treat without respect
文法句型
honour + someone/something (with a ceremony)
用法筆記
Frequently used in passive constructions (e.g. 'was honoured with a medal'). The object is usually a person, group, or achievement — inanimate objects are less common outside of figurative use.
常見錯誤
2. to do what you earlier promised or agreed to do, especially when keeping that pr
to do what you earlier promised or agreed to do, especially when keeping that promise requires effort or comes at a cost.
The company honoured its promise to give every employee a pay rise this year.
honour + promise + to-infinitive — most common grammatical pattern for this sense
Nadia honoured her agreement to help her younger sister pay for university.
Liam told his mother he would be home by nine, and he honoured that promise.
The construction firm refused to honour the contract it had signed with the city.
Chitra always honours her word, so everyone in the office trusts what she says.
- break
opposite — to fail to do what you promised
文法句型
honour + promise/agreement/contract/word
用法筆記
The object is typically an abstract noun like 'promise', 'agreement', 'contract', 'pledge', or 'word'. This sense is common in legal, business, and personal-commitment contexts. The negative form 'refused to honour' is also frequent.
常見錯誤
3. to give someone public praise, a medal, a prize, or another form of official rec
to give someone public praise, a medal, a prize, or another form of official recognition because of their achievements, good work, or special contribution.
The president honoured Elena with a national medal for her work in education.
honour + with + medal — typical pattern for formal award ceremonies
Yuki was honoured as the best employee of the year at the company party.
passive: be honoured as + role/title
The film festival honoured Binta's first movie with the top prize for drama.
The charity will honour Rosa and the other volunteers at a special event next month.
Dan was honoured by the medical association for thirty years of work in rural clinics.
- ignore
to pay no attention to someone's efforts or achievements
文法句型
honour + someone + with + award/medal/prize
用法筆記
Often used in the passive voice when the focus is on the recipient ('was honoured with/by'). The preposition 'with' introduces the specific award, while 'for' gives the reason. 'As' introduces the title or role granted.