1
as in to sharpen
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to rub
to make smooth by friction
honed the edge of the axe until it was amazingly sharp
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hone
In the meantime, the teen appears to be honing her stunt skills.
—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
20 June 2026
Your skills really were honed there to try to fix things.
—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
Prior to opening the bakery, Grande learned the basics of baking from her mother, and honed her skills while working for over 20 years in restaurants, catering, private clubs, and food service management.
—
Pamela Brown,
Hartford Courant,
19 June 2026
But for sure, the talent is out there, honing their craft and building fan bases post by post, participants agreed.
—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for hone
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
20 June 2026
Your skills really were honed there to try to fix things.
—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
Prior to opening the bakery, Grande learned the basics of baking from her mother, and honed her skills while working for over 20 years in restaurants, catering, private clubs, and food service management.
—
Pamela Brown,
Hartford Courant,
19 June 2026
But for sure, the talent is out there, honing their craft and building fan bases post by post, participants agreed.
—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for hone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hone
Verb
-
These brief activity breaks — also known as exercise snacks — not only fight the effects of sitting still for too long but also have been shown to improve blood flow, protect your heart and sharpen your focus.
-
But events in students’ lifetimes also played a role in sharpening their opinions.
Verb
-
But the quiet-part-out-loud here is that the Duffer Brothers ditching Netflix for a four-year deal at Paramount seems to have rubbed high-ranking Netflix executives the wrong way, the first source told THR.
-
According to police, Foulke, Acrey and Millevoix encountered a man and woman waiting for a ride-share outside when one of the three rubbed their knuckles across a man's head.
Verb
-
For dressier occasions, platform sandals like Martha Stewart's go-to style offer comfort, support, and polish all in one.
-
Through processing that polishes the individual wool fibers, the technology allows wool to have more luster, a softer hand feel, drape and elastic recovery.
Verb
-
Questlove is too thoughtful a filmmaker to sand down the rough edges.
-
So that’s a long time for the edges to get sanded off and turned into these happy folkloric stories.
Verb
-
Miami ground its way to two NBA Finals and a conference finals in the last seven seasons through a mix of elite player development, coach Erik Spoelstra’s wizardry, #Heatculture and a soft conference, but this is something entirely different.
-
Vozinha’s two decades grinding through clubs in Portugal, Angola, Moldova, Cyprus, and Slovakia; teammates who play their club football across Europe and North America, from Villarreal and Benfica to Major League Soccer.
Verb
-
The verdict comes a year after Pitt first filed his request for depositions last June, according to court records reviewed by USA TODAY.
-
The lawsuit was filed in Jackson County Circuit Court on Thursday on behalf of Abby Grizzell, of Lee’s Summit, who attorneys said was bowled over and trampled by a group of youths on June 6.
Cite this Entry
“Hone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hone. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
