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

After graduating from the prestigious Louis-Lumière film school, the cinematographer honed her eye shooting projects for Christophe Honoré, Agnès Varda and Sandrine Veysset. —Ben Croll, Variety, 8 May 2025

The 34-year-old Alvarado, who hails from the Mexican state of Sonora, honed her craft at such places as Cosme in New York City and Mirazur in Menton, France. —Anya Von Bremzen, AFAR Media, 8 May 2025

Akil takes an approach better suited for a visual medium, making the two halves of the couple equal co-leads and finely honing each character. —Judy Berman, Time, 8 May 2025

Kickers, punters and long snappers honed their skills to incredible degrees. —Tim Graham, New York Times, 2 May 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