honor system
5
4.8
- noun
- /ˈɑːnər ˈsɪstəm/
- US
- Believe it or not, it's all on the old-fashioned honor system.
- rely on the honor system
- operate on the honor system
- run on the honor system
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Watch on YouTubeBut that's it's, it's basically on the honor system and, and we don't have the ability to vet that location where you're going.
- But that's it's, it's basically on the honor system and, and we don't have the ability to vet that location where you're going.
Examples
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Such an attitude may seem impossibly quaint, Gibbs says, but that sort of honor system has worked in Charleston for a long time.
Academic text (2001) -
Now don't forget you're on the honor system tonight.
Fiction book (1999) -
I believe in the honor system.
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We're on the honor system.
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You know how our honor system works.
Fiction book (1998) -
We have the honor system in St. Louis.
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The majority of our respondents relied on the honor system and peer pressure for enforcement of the policy.
Academic text (1993) -
The honor system of copyright doesn't work anymore.
Blog text (25) -
I should remind you you're on the modified honor system.
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In our classroom, we operate on a honor system, trusting students to complete their assignments honestly.
Antonyms
- Specialized
13
3.9
A group of cameras and devices that watch people or places for safety
How Trusting
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'honor' (moral integrity/honesty) modifies 'system' (an organized set of rules), yielding a system that relies on people's honesty. This noun–noun construction is transparent and cross-linguistically recognizable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reasonably infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Honor system comes from the simple idea that a person's honor (their promise to be honest) is enough inside a shared system. Imagine a school cafeteria where students take food and are trusted to pay later, so it means a way of doing things that depends on people being 'honest' without someone watching.