your honor
Your moral standing
Your honor is a formal term of address for judges and certain other officials, used when speaking directly to them in court or official proceedings: Your Honor, I object to this line of questioning.
The phrase acknowledges the dignity of the office rather than the individual.
In American courts, it's the standard way to address a judge; British courts more commonly use "my lord" or "my lady" for higher courts.
Outside legal contexts, your honor occasionally appears in ironic or playful address, mock-deferring to someone's authority or judgment.
- judgeOne who decides
- courtroomJudicial proceedings chamber
- respectRegard with honor
- titleFormal honorific or name
- gavelSmall ceremonial hammer
court is in session · bench · trial · opening statement · guilty plea · lawyer · objection · verdict · testimony · robe · justice · judicial robe · plea · counsel · integrity · dignity · oath · sentence
- courtroom expressionsobjection, sustained, overruled, all rise, guilty
- courtroomjudge, jury, oath taking, lawyer, bench
- forms of addresssir, ma'am, madam, miss, mister
- courtroom etiquettestanding, rising, posture, respect, objection
- judgesjudge, magistrate, magistrates, jurist, chief justice
- Pleasantriesplease, thanks, sorry, excuse me, hello