hone

1 of 3

verb (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

honer noun

hone

2 of 3

noun

: whetstone

hone

3 of 3

verb (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

Examples of hone in a Sentence

Verb (1)

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

honed the edge of the axe until it was amazingly sharp

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In the sports context, irreparable harm is sometimes argued in the context of an athlete excluded from playing in that the athlete will lose the chance to play in games that will never be played again and lose the opportunity to hone their skills. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 12 June 2025

Following their debut album Music in 1993, the band took to the road to tour and hone their performance skills. —Devin Robertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025

This is a skill Youssef first honed by observing his comedy idols. —Selome Hailu, Variety, 10 June 2025

Before law school, Silvia honed her analytical and leadership skills at a Fortune 500 health insurer. —Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 10 June 2025

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

• hone in
• hone in on

Rhymes for hone

• blown
• clone
• cone
• crone
• drone
• flown
• groan
• grown
• joan
• known
• loan
• lone

Kids Definition

hone

verb

ˈhōn

honed; honing

1

: to sharpen with or as if with a fine abrasive stone

2

: to make more intense or effective

top athletes honing their skills