principle

2 ENTRIES FOUND:

principle /ˈprɪnsəpəl/ noun

plural principles

principle

/ˈprɪnsəpəl/

noun

plural principles

Learner's definition of PRINCIPLE

: a moral rule or belief that helps you know what is right and wrong and that influences your actions（行为）准则；（道德）原则

[count]

He has good principles.他非常讲原则。
It's against my principles to cheat. [=I believe that cheating is wrong]欺骗有悖于我做人的原则。

[noncount]

As a matter of principle, he would not accept the gift. [=he did not feel that it was right to accept the gift]他不会接受这份礼物的，这是原则问题。
She refused on principle [=because of her beliefs] to give toy guns to the children.出于原则，她拒绝给孩子玩具枪。

[count] : a basic truth or theory : an idea that forms the basis of something基本原则；基本法则

well-established economic principles得到公认的经济法则
His investment strategy is based on the principle that the stock market offers the best returns for long-term investors.他的投资策略是基于股票市场会给长线投资者最好的回报这一法则。

[count] : a law or fact of nature that explains how something works or why something happens原理

in principle

— used to say that something which has not yet happened or been done should be possible according to what is known理论上；按常理

In principle, making the changes should be a simple matter, but there may be problems we haven't thought of.按常理，做出改变应该是件简单的事，但是也可能出现我们始料未及的问题。

: in a general way and without giving attention to details大体上；基本上

◊ Do not confuse principle with principal.