honor killing

A form of honour killing — A typically Middle Eastern and South Asian cultural practice whereby a family member, usually female, is murdered by other family members, the act being justified as retribution for a (usually sexual) slight upon the family's honour.

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Meanings

nounhonor killing (plural honor killings)

plural honor killings

  1. USalternativeAlternative spelling of honour killing.

    Which is why Putin’s onslaught against Ukraine’s freely elected government feels like the geopolitical equivalent of an honor killing.

    2022 February 22, Thomas L. Friedman, “This Is Putin’s War. But America and NATO Aren’t Innocent Bystanders.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 01 Mar 2022
Cite this entry
APA

honor killing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/honor%20killing

MLA

“honor killing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/honor%20killing. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “honor killing,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/honor%20killing.

Source: honor killing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.