on principle
idiom
: because of one's beliefs
She refused on principle to give toy guns to the children.
Examples of on principle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In such situations, when a client has the resources and the inclination to go round after round, small municipalities have to decide whether to settle or stand on principle, draining their budget.
—
Andrew Rice, Curbed, 26 June 2025
Writing in the Journal, Pace said the AP didn’t ask for the fight and made efforts to resolve the issue before going to court, but needed to stand on principle.
—David Bauder, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025
There are a small handful of primarily religious schools that refuse, on principle, to take any federal money at all.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 10 May 2025
Many House Republicans refuse on principle to vote for a debt-limit adjustment; securing one requires weeks of negotiations and Democratic coöperation in both chambers.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for on principle
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Andrew Rice, Curbed, 26 June 2025
Writing in the Journal, Pace said the AP didn’t ask for the fight and made efforts to resolve the issue before going to court, but needed to stand on principle.
—David Bauder, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025
There are a small handful of primarily religious schools that refuse, on principle, to take any federal money at all.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 10 May 2025
Many House Republicans refuse on principle to vote for a debt-limit adjustment; securing one requires weeks of negotiations and Democratic coöperation in both chambers.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for on principle
Cite this Entry
“On principle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20principle. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share