honor system
noun
: a system (as at a college) whereby persons are trusted to abide by the regulations (as for a code of conduct) without supervision or surveillance
Examples of honor system in a Sentence
Customers are on the honor system to pay for any software they choose to purchase.
Recent Examples on the Web
Most opioid settlements require such reports but operate on an honor system.
—
Aneri Pattani, NPR, 16 Dec. 2024
Instead, there’s an honor system — just take a drink, leave a donation and soak up the relics of a bygone era.
—Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2024
Importantly, though, this worked on the honor system: All sites have a tiny file called robots.txt, and bots would avoid sites whose robots.txt files waved them off.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 10 Dec. 2024
But whistleblowers say the sponsors are vetted through little more than an honor system, and the kids are sometimes trafficked into the hands of criminals and gangs.
—Sharyl Attkisson, Baltimore Sun, 15 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for honor system 
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Aneri Pattani, NPR, 16 Dec. 2024
Instead, there’s an honor system — just take a drink, leave a donation and soak up the relics of a bygone era.
—Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2024
Importantly, though, this worked on the honor system: All sites have a tiny file called robots.txt, and bots would avoid sites whose robots.txt files waved them off.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 10 Dec. 2024
But whistleblowers say the sponsors are vetted through little more than an honor system, and the kids are sometimes trafficked into the hands of criminals and gangs.
—Sharyl Attkisson, Baltimore Sun, 15 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for honor system
Dictionary Entries Near honor system
Cite this Entry
“Honor system.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/honor%20system. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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