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hone

1
[ hohn ]
/ hoŹŠn /
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See synonyms for: hone / honed / hones / honing on Thesaurus.com
noun
a whetstone of fine, compact texture for sharpening razors and other cutting tools.
a precision tool with a mechanically rotated abrasive tip, for enlarging holes to precise dimensions.
verb (used with object), honed, honĀ·ing.
to sharpen on a hone: to hone a carving knife.
to enlarge or finish (a hole) with a hone.
to make more acute or effective; improve; perfect: to hone one's skills.
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Origin of hone

1
First recorded before 950; Middle English (noun); Old English hān ā€œstone, rockā€; cognate with Old Norse hein ā€œhoneā€; akin to cone

OTHER WORDS FROM hone

honĀ·er, noun

Words nearby hone

Hond., honda, Hondo, Honduran, Honduras, hone, Honecker, honed, Honegger, hone in, honest

Other definitions for hone (2 of 2)

hone2
[ hohn ]
/ hoŹŠn /
verb (used without object), honed, honĀ·ing.
South Midland and Southern U.S. to yearn; long: to hone for the farm life; to hone after peach pie.
Archaic. to moan and groan.

Origin of hone

2
1590ā€“1600; <Anglo-French *honer;Old French hogner to grumble, growl <Germanic; compare Old Saxon hōnian to abuse, revile
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to hone

whet, acuminate, edge, file, grind

How to use hone in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hone (1 of 2)

hone1
/ (həŹŠn) /
noun
a fine whetstone, esp for sharpening razors
a tool consisting of a number of fine abrasive slips held in a machine head, rotated and reciprocated to impart a smooth finish to cylinder bores, etc
verb
(tr) to sharpen or polish with or as if with a hone

Word Origin for hone

Old English hān stone; related to Old Norse hein

usage for hone

Hone is sometimes wrongly used where home is meant: this device makes it easier to home in on (not hone in on) the target

British Dictionary definitions for hone (2 of 2)

hone2
/ (həŹŠn) /
verb (intr) dialect
(often foll by for or after) to yearn or pine
to moan or grieve

Word Origin for hone

C17: from Old French hogner to growl, probably of Germanic origin; compare Old High German hōnen to revile
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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