bone
verb
boned; boning
1
: to remove the bones from
bone a fish
2
: to provide (a garment) with stays
3
: to rub (something, such as a boot or a baseball bat) with something hard (such as a piece of bone) in order to smooth the surface
4
US, vulgar slang
: to have sexual intercourse with (someone)
: to study hard : grind
bone through medical school
Examples of bone in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Cut a horizontal pocket in each chop by cutting horizontally from the fat side almost to bone on opposite side.
—
Maddy Bendgen, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Apr. 2026
Sarah Glasgow, a student at Muhlenberg High School, was t-boned on the driver's side of her car while driving home on Monday, March 23.
—Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 4 Apr. 2026
Chicken with the skin on and bone in is typically cheaper than boneless, skinless cuts.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 31 Jan. 2026
Toward clinical use Early surgical evaluations show the device can be inserted through a minimally invasive skull incision and slid onto the brain’s surface without penetrating tissue or requiring wires that tether the implant to bone.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bone
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.
Maddy Bendgen, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Apr. 2026
Sarah Glasgow, a student at Muhlenberg High School, was t-boned on the driver's side of her car while driving home on Monday, March 23.
—Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 4 Apr. 2026
Chicken with the skin on and bone in is typically cheaper than boneless, skinless cuts.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 31 Jan. 2026
Toward clinical use Early surgical evaluations show the device can be inserted through a minimally invasive skull incision and slid onto the brain’s surface without penetrating tissue or requiring wires that tether the implant to bone.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bone
Cite this Entry
“Bone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bone. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bone
1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a hard material which is largely calcium phosphate and of which the skeleton of most vertebrate animals is formed
also
: one of the hard parts in which this material occurs
break a bone
b
: a hard animal substance (as baleen or ivory) similar to bone
2
: a cause of disagreement
—used in the phrases bone of contention and bone to pick
3
plural
: something usually or originally made from bone (as dice or clappers)
4
a
: the basic part
cut costs to the bone
b
: the most deeply ingrained part
knew in her bones it was wrong
5
plural
: body
rest my weary bones
bonelike
adjective
-ˌlīk
bone
2 of 2 verb
boned; boning
1
: to remove the bones from
bone a fish
2
: to study hard
bone up on math
Medical Definition
bone
noun1
a
: one of the hard parts that make up the skeleton of a vertebrate and that varies in size and shape
a shoulder bone
the bones of the hand
—sometimes used before another nounOsteoporosis is a major underlying cause of bone fractures in postmenopausal women and older persons in general.—The Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association
b
: the hard largely calcareous (see calcareous sense 1) connective tissue of which bones are chiefly composed
cancellous bone
compact bone
—sometimes used before another nounAge-related bone loss begins in men and women at about age 35 and is caused by a slight but persistent elevation in the rate of bone resorption over the rate of bone formation.—Peter S. Millard et al., American Family Physician
compare cartilage sense 1
Peter S. Millard et al., American Family Physician2
: any of various hard animal substances or structures (such as baleen or ivory) akin to or resembling bone
Natural materials like cuttlefish bone, sea urchin spines, and seashells have all been studied and investigated extensively …—V. Lalzawmliana et al., Springer Series in Biomaterials Science and Engineering
V. Lalzawmliana et al., Springer Series in Biomaterials Science and EngineeringLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
