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 But this historic, election-year moment brings to mind other times when political or community leaders showed moral courage, spoke out when others remained silent, stood on principle or broke through barriers. —

Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 23 July 2024 Not all of us are sold on Biden, but we are united in refusing to support Trump on principle. —

Mike Kabatt, Baltimore Sun, 3 July 2024 But on principle, political recognition can lead to beneficial security cooperation, humanitarian links, and even lucrative business dealings. —

Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 June 2024 Why Beijing Is Bringing Big Tech to Heel Beijing doesn’t oppose monopolies on principle, but even tech giants like Alibaba and Tencent must put party over profit. —

Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for on principle

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'on principle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.