as in rule
something (such as a belief or value) that helps a person know what is right and wrong and that influences their actions
He refused to participate on principle. It is against her principles to steal.
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Recent Examples of principle
Yet Cher is a woman of principle who lives by her code: to thine own self be true, as Hamlet didn’t quite say.
—
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 7 July 2025
Some of its bedrock principles, like multilateralism, free trade and respect for international law and existing international treaties, have been severely undermined.
—Jorge Heine, The Conversation, 7 July 2025
While there is still work to be done to achieve them fully, and always will be, most Americans continue to celebrate those principles.
—Frederic J. Fransen, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 July 2025
In principle, a freestanding stack of blocks can span the Grand Canyon, no glue required.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 6 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for principle
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 7 July 2025
Some of its bedrock principles, like multilateralism, free trade and respect for international law and existing international treaties, have been severely undermined.
—Jorge Heine, The Conversation, 7 July 2025
While there is still work to be done to achieve them fully, and always will be, most Americans continue to celebrate those principles.
—Frederic J. Fransen, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 July 2025
In principle, a freestanding stack of blocks can span the Grand Canyon, no glue required.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 6 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for principle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for principle
Noun
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Around the country, state lawmakers are twisting tax codes, raiding campus funds and rewriting financial rules to keep their flagship programs competitive.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 July 2025
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The rules on how the league decides on replacements are not public.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
Noun
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Santa Cruz, for example, has a standard that developers can’t use vinyl windows.—
Kate Talerico,
Mercury News,
14 July 2025
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Flickering habitability The landscape turned arid, judging by Earth’s standards, roughly 3.5 billion years ago.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 July 2025
Noun
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Nowhere is this truer than Wimbledon, which has always been a law unto itself. — Caoimhe O’Neill contributed reporting.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
6 July 2025
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Sotomayor wrote her own dissent of the majority’s ruling that fuel producers can challenge California emissions standards under a federal air pollution law.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
6 July 2025
Noun
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Take this Dior set, with a serum, cream, and lotion packed away in a plush travel bag—a $219 value for just $160!—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
12 July 2025
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Stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency designed to maintain a constant value, usually a 1:1 dollar peg, are commonly used by crypto traders to move funds between tokens.—
Niket Nishant,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Principle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/principle. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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