hone
1 of 3verb (1)
ˈhōn 
honed; honing
transitive verb
1
: to sharpen or smooth with a whetstone
2
: to make more acute, intense, or effective : whet
helped her hone her comic timing
Patricia Bosworth
Patricia Bosworth honer noun
hone
2 of 3noun
: whetstone
hone
3 of 3verb (2)
honed; honing
intransitive verb
1
dialect : yearn —often used with for or after
2
dialect : grumble, moan
Synonyms
Verb (1)
- edge
- grind
- sharpen
- stone
- strop
- whet
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Paul Newberry, ajc, 18 Aug. 2022 That will give him an opportunity to hone his skills at the NCAA level. Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 28 June 2022 Speaking slowly and deliberately will buy you more time to think and hone your response. Ashley Stahl, Forbes, 12 Aug. 2022 Chinese military drills across six zones around Taiwan, which on Sunday included joint air and sea exercises to hone long-range airstrike capabilities, allowed the military to practice blockading the island in the event of an invasion. New York Times, 7 Aug. 2022 Training camp competitive periods offer prime opportunities to hone the awareness that will demand. Jori Epstein, USA TODAY, 28 July 2022 Putin declared victory over the Luhansk region last week and British intelligence warned Wednesday that Russian forces will now hone their efforts on taking small towns like Siversk and Dolyna. Caitlin Mcfall, Fox News, 13 July 2022 Save $150 on the iconic brand's iron, and get ready to hone your game finally. Claudia Fisher, PEOPLE.com, 12 July 2022 Yet football is never too far away for Staley, who used the experience as an opportunity to hone his coaching techniques. Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2022 See More
Verb
His best bet is probably to earn a spot on the practice squad, which would give him a chance to hone his receiving skills while working during the week against players such as A.J. Terrell, one of the league's best cornerbacks. Paul Newberry, ajc, 18 Aug. 2022 That will give him an opportunity to hone his skills at the NCAA level. Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 28 June 2022 Speaking slowly and deliberately will buy you more time to think and hone your response. Ashley Stahl, Forbes, 12 Aug. 2022 Chinese military drills across six zones around Taiwan, which on Sunday included joint air and sea exercises to hone long-range airstrike capabilities, allowed the military to practice blockading the island in the event of an invasion. New York Times, 7 Aug. 2022 Training camp competitive periods offer prime opportunities to hone the awareness that will demand. Jori Epstein, USA TODAY, 28 July 2022 Putin declared victory over the Luhansk region last week and British intelligence warned Wednesday that Russian forces will now hone their efforts on taking small towns like Siversk and Dolyna. Caitlin Mcfall, Fox News, 13 July 2022 Save $150 on the iconic brand's iron, and get ready to hone your game finally. Claudia Fisher, PEOPLE.com, 12 July 2022 Yet football is never too far away for Staley, who used the experience as an opportunity to hone his coaching techniques. Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb (1)
Middle English, from Old English hān stone; akin to Old Norse hein whetstone, Latin cot-, cos, Sanskrit śiśāti he whets
Verb (2)
Middle French hoigner to grumble
First Known Use
Verb (1)
1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb (2)
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing hone
Kids Definition
hone
verb
ˈhōn
honed; honing
: to sharpen with or as if with a fine abrasive stone
honed 1 of 2
adjective
as in sharpened
having an edge thin enough to cut or pierce something using a finely honed butcher knife will make cutting meat easier Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- sharpened
- sharp
- cutting
- stropped
- whetted
- edged
- ground
- keen
- trenchant
- jagged
- edgy
- piercing
- pointed
- knifelike
- jabbing
- stabbing
- lacerating
- clawlike
- scratching
- daggerlike
- spiky
- pointy
- spikey
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- blunt
- dull
- smooth
- dulled
- rounded
- blunted
- soft
- obtuse
- level
- even
- flat
- slick
honed
2 of 2verb
1
as in whetted
to make sharp or sharper honed the knife's blade to razor-like sharpness honed his crossword-puzzle skills by reading the dictionary as though it were a thrilling novel Synonyms & Similar Words
- sharpened
- whetted
- ground
- stropped
- stoned
- filed
- edged
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dulled
- blunted
- polished
- smoothed
- rounded
- burnished
- glossed
- buffed
2
as in rubbed
to make smooth by friction honed the edge of the axe until it was amazingly sharp Synonyms & Similar Words
- rubbed
- polished
- sharpened
- sanded
- buffed
- filed
- scraped
- ground
- rasped
- smoothed
- shined
- burnished
- scoured
- planed
- shone
- sandblasted
- whetted
- glossed
- edged
- stropped
- reground
- dressed
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- roughened
- scuffed
- coarsened
- roughed (up)
- sweep someone off her feet
- sweep someone off his feet
- sweep something under the carpet
- sweep something under the rug
- sweep the board
- sweep the table
- sweep under the carpet
- sweep under the rug
- sweep up
- sweep-chimney
- sweep-sec
- sweep-second
- sweep-second hand
- sweep-stake
- sweepable
- sweepage
- sweepback
- sweepbacks
- sweepdom
- sweeper
- sweepers
- sweepforward
- sweepier
- sweepiest
- sweeping