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
Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 8 May 2026
Horror master Stephen King honed his craft early in his career by writing short stories while making a meager income as a teacher, industrial laundry worker, and high school janitor.
—René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May 2026
The goalkeeper honed his craft, making 40 appearances for the club.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 4 May 2026
The blade was at least ten inches long and double-edged, honed on one side with a wavy scalloped finish, the other a jagged toothing like a lumberjack’s saw.
—Chang-Rae Lee, New Yorker, 3 May 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
Now positioned at the top of Aston Martin’s DB food chain, the DB12 S offers a range of tweaks inside and out which are designed to dynamically hone an already-impressive luxury GT.
—Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 8 May 2026
Horror master Stephen King honed his craft early in his career by writing short stories while making a meager income as a teacher, industrial laundry worker, and high school janitor.
—René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May 2026
The goalkeeper honed his craft, making 40 appearances for the club.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 4 May 2026
The blade was at least ten inches long and double-edged, honed on one side with a wavy scalloped finish, the other a jagged toothing like a lumberjack’s saw.
—Chang-Rae Lee, New Yorker, 3 May 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 9 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
