bone

American  

[bohn] / boʊn /

noun

1. Anatomy, Zoology.

   1. one of the structures composing the skeleton of a vertebrate.

   2. the hard connective tissue forming the substance of the skeleton of most vertebrates, composed of a collagen-rich organic matrix impregnated with calcium, phosphate, and other minerals.

2. such a structure from an edible animal, usually with meat adhering to it, as an article of food.

   Pea soup should be made with a ham bone.

3. any of various similarly hard or structural animal substances, as ivory or whalebone.

4. something made of or resembling such a substance.

5. a small concession, intended to pacify or quiet; a conciliatory bribe or gift.

   The administration threw the student protesters a couple of bones, but refused to make any basic changes in the curriculum or requirements.

6. bones,

   1. the skeleton.

   2. a body.

      Let his bones rest in peace.

   3. Games Slang. dice.

   4. (initial capital letter) Mr. Bones.

   5. a simple rhythm instrument consisting of two sometimes curved bars or short strips of bone, ivory, wood, or the like, held between the fingers of one hand and clacked together.

7. the color of bone; ivory or off-white.

8. a flat strip of whalebone or other material for stiffening corsets, petticoats, etc.; stay.

9. Games Slang. a domino.

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verb (used with object)

boned, boning

1. to remove the bones from.

   to bone a turkey.

2. to put whalebone or another stiffener into (clothing).

3. Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse with.

   He was boning his best friend's wife!

4. Agriculture. to put bone meal into (feed, fertilizer, etc.).

adverb

1. completely; absolutely.

   bone tired.

idioms

1. make no bones about,

   1. to deal with in a direct manner; act or speak openly.

      He makes no bones about his dislike of modern music.

   2. to have no fear of or objection to.

2. have a bone to pick with someone, to have cause to disagree or argue with someone.

   The teacher had a bone to pick with him because his homework paper was identical with his neighbor's.

3. bone up, to study intensely; cram.

   We're going to have to bone up for the exam.

4. feel in one's bones, to think or feel intuitively.

   She felt in her bones that it was going to be a momentous day.

5. to the bone,

   1. to the essentials; to the minimum.

      The government cut social service programs to the bone.

   2. to an extreme degree; thoroughly.

      chilled to the bone.

Bône ¹ British  

/ bon /

noun

1. a former name of Annaba

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bone ² British  

/ bəʊn /

noun

1. any of the various structures that make up the skeleton in most vertebrates

2. the porous rigid tissue of which these parts are made, consisting of a matrix of collagen and inorganic salts, esp calcium phosphate, interspersed with canals and small holes

3. something consisting of bone or a bonelike substance

4. (plural) the human skeleton or body

   they laid his bones to rest

   come and rest your bones

5. a thin strip of whalebone, light metal, plastic, etc, used to stiffen corsets and brassieres

6. (plural) the essentials (esp in the phrase the bare bones )

   to explain the bones of a situation

7. (plural) dice

8. (plural) an informal nickname for a doctor

9. 1. risqué or indecent

      his jokes are rather close to the bone

   2. in poverty; destitute

10. to have an intuition of

11. to have grounds for a quarrel

12. 1. to be direct and candid about

    2. to have no scruples about

13. (often foll by at)

    1. to wish bad luck (on)

    2. to threaten to bring about the downfall (of)

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verb

1. to remove the bones from (meat for cooking, etc)

2. to stiffen (a corset, etc) by inserting bones

3. to fertilize with bone meal

4. taboo to have sexual intercourse with

5. a slang word for steal

bone Scientific  

/ bōn /

1. The hard, dense, calcified tissue that forms the skeleton of most vertebrates, consisting of a matrix made up of collagen fibers and mineral salts. There are two main types of bone structure: compact, which is solid and hard, and cancellous, which is spongy in appearance. Bone serves as a framework for the attachment of muscles and protects vital organs, such as the brain, heart, and lungs.

2. See more at osteoblast osteocyte

3. Any of the structures made of bone that constitute a skeleton, such as the femur. The human skeleton consists of 206 bones.

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bone More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing bone

• bare bones
• chilled to the bone
• cut to the bone
• feel in one's bones
• funny bone
• make no bones about
• pull a boner
• roll the bones
• skin and bones
• work one's fingers to the bone

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Other Word Forms

• boneless adjective

Etymology

Origin of bone

First recorded before 900; Middle English bo(o)n, Old English bān; cognate with Old Frisian, Old Saxon bēn, Dutch been “bone,” Old Norse bein “bone, leg,” German Bein “leg”; from Germanic bainam

Example Sentences

A spokesperson from Health and Care Jersey said: "Potential issues with the reporting of bone densitometry scans were identified in September 2025 as part of work carried out during the review into rheumatology".

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Researchers confirmed that the fossil belonged to a juvenile by examining growth patterns in a thin section of its femur bone.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

Kinney disappeared in 1999 and on June 17, 2022, a family looking for sea shells on Salmon Creek State Beach came across a bone sticking out of the sand.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Semple’s writing draws from real life in ways that could cut close to the bone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

The sack I was sitting on got hard as a rock and my tail bone started hurting.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Related Words

• cartilage