stone

[ stohn ]

/ stoʊn /

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noun, plural stones for 1-5, 7-20, stone for 6.

the hard substance, formed of mineral matter, of which rocks consist.

a rock or particular piece or kind of rock, as a boulder or piece of agate.

a piece of rock quarried and worked into a specific size and shape for a particular purpose: paving stone;building stone.

a small piece of rock, as a pebble.

precious stone.

Chiefly British. one of various units of weight, especially the British unit equivalent to 14 pounds (6.4 kilograms).

something resembling a small piece of rock in size, shape, or hardness.

any small, hard seed, as of a date; pit.

Botany. the hard endocarp of a drupe, as of a peach.

Pathology. a calculous concretion in the body, as in the kidney, gallbladder, or urinary bladder.

a gravestone or tombstone.

grindstone: Don’t even think about using that stone until you’ve got your safety glasses on.

millstone: The gristmill’s original pair of stones were made from volcanic lava deposits in southern Italy.

hailstone: With many verified reports of stones as large as 6 inches in diameter, we can tell you this was no ordinary hailstorm.

curling stone: Friction between the stone and the surface of the ice is controlled by many parameters, including velocity.

Building Trades. any of various artificial materials imitating cut stone or rubble.

Printing. a table with a smooth surface, formerly made of stone, on which page forms are composed.

(in lithography) any surface on which an artist draws or etches a picture or design from which a lithograph is made.

a playing piece in the game of dominoes, checkers, or backgammon.

Slang: Vulgar.Usually stones . testes.

adjective

made of or pertaining to stone.

made of stoneware: a stone mug or bottle.

stonelike; stony; obdurate: a stone killer;stone strength.

adverb

completely; totally (usually used in combination): stone cold.

verb (used with object), stoned, ston·ing.

to throw stones at; drive by pelting with stones.

to put to death by pelting with stones.

to provide, fit, pave, line, face or fortify with stones.

to rub (something) with or on a stone, as to sharpen, polish, or smooth.

to remove stones from, as fruit.

Obsolete. to make insensitive or unfeeling.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about stone

cast the first stone, to be the first to condemn or blame a wrongdoer; be hasty in one's judgment: What right has she to cast the first stone?

leave no stone unturned, to exhaust every possibility in attempting to achieve one's goal; spare no effort: We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to find the culprit.

set in stone, to put (something) in final form; finalize so as to prevent change or reversal: These schematics for the library renovation are only proposals—nothing yet is set in stone.Also set / cast in concrete .

Origin of stone

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun stan, sto(o)n, Old English stān; cognate with Dutch steen, German Stein, Old Norse steinn, Gothic stains; akin to Greek stī́a “pebble,” Latin stīria “icicle”; the verb, adjective, and adverb are derivative of the noun

OTHER WORDS FROM stone

ston·a·ble, stone·a·ble, adjectivestone·less, adjectivestone·less·ness, nounstone·like, adjective

un·ston·a·ble, un·stone·a·ble, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH stone

boulder, cobblestone, granule, pebble, rock, stone

Other definitions for stone (2 of 2)

Stone

[ stohn ]

/ stoʊn /

noun

Edward Du·rell

[doo-rel, dyoo-], /dʊˈrɛl, dyʊ-/, 1902–78, U.S. architect.

Har·lan Fiske

[hahr-luhn], /ˈhɑr lən/, 1872–1946, U.S. jurist: chief justice of the U.S. 1941–46.

Irving, 1903–1989, U.S. author.

I(sidor) F(ein·stein)

[fahyn-stahyn], /ˈfaɪn staɪn/, "Izzy", 1907–1989, U.S. political journalist.

Lucy, 1818–93, U.S. suffragist (wife of Henry Brown Blackwell).

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stone in a sentence

Stone mentions DraftKings and FanDuel specifically because they’re the two biggest players in the market and have been for some time.
Free money, big addictions: Inside the booming world of online sports betting|Brett Haensel|November 15, 2020|Fortune
Stone’s stopped carrying drugs like fentanyl patches and oxycodone, and though that distributor now pays the tax itself, the pharmacy is still feeling the effects.
Patients struggle to access prescription opioids after New York tax drives away suppliers|lbelanger225|November 15, 2020|Fortune
Nothing is set in stone, but obviously, trying to make an Olympic team is really important to an elite athlete.
17-Year-Old Tierney Wolfgram's Meteoric Rise|Martin Fritz Huber|November 11, 2020|Outside Online
Virtual concepts are also emerging as stepping stones for unestablished entrepreneurs.
Ghost Kitchens Are the Wave of the Future. But Is That a Good Thing?|Kristen Hawley|November 9, 2020|Eater

NASA has also signed an agreement with private space station builder Axiom to attach one of its modules to the space station in 2024, which the company plans to use as a stepping stone towards building its own commercial space station.
The International Space Station Is Ailing. Its Replacement Will Shape the Future of Space Exploration|Edd Gent|November 9, 2020|Singularity Hub
When residents gathered, the fighters told them to carry out the sentence: Stoning to death for the alleged adulteress.
Why Liberals Should Back Iraq Intervention|Michael Tomasky|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Also this week a Republican candidate for the state House of Representatives in Oklahoma endorsed stoning gay people to death.
Rick Perry’s Stupid Comment on Booze and Sex(uality)|Sally Kohn|June 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Stoning is practiced or authorized by law in 15 countries now.
How the Sultan of Brunei Violated His Sharia Law With Me|Jillian Lauren|May 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the Taliban-controlled territory of the northwestern tribal agencies, the penalty is worse: death by firing squad or stoning.
Pakistan’s Gay Community Quietly Breaking Barriers|Ron Moreau, Sami Yousafzai|October 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It said at least 15 men and women face sentences of death by stoning on charges of adultery.
More Frightening Facts About Iranian Oppression|David Frum|March 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
With these feelings, I gave an agitated knock—they were stoning the plums, and did not immediately attend.
A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles Dickens and Others|Various
A single standard is an improvement upon the old habit of stoning the woman only and letting the man go free.
Sex=The Unknown Quantity|Ali Nomad
Blasphemy was the blackest crime in the Mosaic category; and the prescribed penalty was death by stoning.
The Vitality of Mormonism--Brief Essays|James E. Talmage
There were signs of richness all around us—stoning of raisins, cutting of citron, slicing of candied orange peel.
The Children's Book of Thanksgiving Stories|Various
Ephraim watched her sharply; he sat by a window stoning raisins.
Pembroke|Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

British Dictionary definitions for stone (1 of 3)

stone

/ (stəʊn) /

noun

the hard compact nonmetallic material of which rocks are madeRelated adjective: lithic

a small lump of rock; pebble

jewellery short for gemstone

a piece of rock designed or shaped for some particular purpose
(in combination)gravestone; millstone

something that resembles a stone
(in combination)hailstone

the woody central part of such fruits as the peach and plum, that contains the seed; endocarp

any similar hard part of a fruit, such as the stony seed of a date

plural stone British a unit of weight, used esp to express human body weight, equal to 14 pounds or 6.350 kilograms

Also called: granite the rounded heavy mass of granite or iron used in the game of curling

pathol a nontechnical name for calculus

printing a table with a very flat iron or stone surface upon which hot-metal pages are composed into formes; imposition table

rare (in certain games) a piece or man

any of various dull grey colours
(as adjective)stone paint

(modifier) relating to or made of stonea stone house

(modifier) made of stonewarea stone jar

cast a stone at cast aspersions upon

heart of stone an obdurate or unemotional nature

leave no stone unturned to do everything possible to achieve an end

adverb

(in combination) completelystone-cold; stone-dead

verb (tr)

to throw stones at, esp to kill

to remove the stones from

to furnish or provide with stones

stone the crows British and Australian slang an expression of surprise, dismay, etc

Derived forms of stone

stonable or stoneable, adjectivestoneless, adjectivestonelessness, nounstonelike, adjective

Word Origin for stone

Old English stān; related to Old Saxon stēn, German Stein, Old Norse steinn, Gothic stains, Greek stion pebble

British Dictionary definitions for stone (2 of 3)

Stone

/ (stəʊn) /

noun

Oliver. born 1946, US film director and screenwriter: his films include Platoon (1986), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), JFK (1991), Nixon (1995), Alexander (2004), and World Trade Center (2006)

Sharon. born 1958, US film actress: her films include Basic Instinct (1991), Casino (1995), and Cold Creek Manor (2003)

British Dictionary definitions for stone (3 of 3)

stone-

prefix

very; completelystone-blind; stone-cold

Word Origin for stone-

from stone in the sense of "like a stone"

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for stone

stone

[ stōn ]

Rock, especially when used in construction.

The hard, woody inner layer (the endocarp) of a drupe such as a cherry or peach. Not in scientific use.

See calculus.

Other Idioms and Phrases with stone

stone

In addition to the idioms beginning with stone

stone cold
stone deaf

also see:

cast in stone
cast the first stone
flat (stone) broke
heart of stone
leave no stone unturned
rolling stone gathers no moss
run into a stone wall

stone

Idioms about stone

Origin of stone

OTHER WORDS FROM stone

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH stone

Other definitions for stone (2 of 2)

Words related to stone

How to use stone in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stone (1 of 3)

Derived forms of stone

Word Origin for stone

British Dictionary definitions for stone (2 of 3)

British Dictionary definitions for stone (3 of 3)

Word Origin for stone-

Scientific definitions for stone

Other Idioms and Phrases with stone