honed; honing
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
Patricia Bosworth
honer
noun
honed; honing
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
Jessica Lipsky, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Surf schools—including School of Surf Cocoa Beach, where locals like 11-time world champion Kelly Slater honed their skills—line the shore.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2026
Now girls are logging 30 matches a season, constantly honing their skills and gaining strength – a prerequisite to merely keep pace with their contemporaries.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 2 Mar. 2026
Helped hone her awareness of awareness.
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hone
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.
Verb
The stage, social, and commentary opportunities are all possibilities rooted in Anderson’s ability to hone his voice and perspective.
—Jessica Lipsky, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Surf schools—including School of Surf Cocoa Beach, where locals like 11-time world champion Kelly Slater honed their skills—line the shore.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2026
Now girls are logging 30 matches a season, constantly honing their skills and gaining strength – a prerequisite to merely keep pace with their contemporaries.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 2 Mar. 2026
Helped hone her awareness of awareness.
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hone
Cite this Entry
“Hone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hone. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
