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
Kansas City Star, 4 Dec. 2025
What will no doubt remain consistent is Kate’s use of fashion as a soft power tool, a skill the late Queen Elizabeth honed during her reign on the throne, and something Kate clearly studied as well.
—Monique Jessen, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
Through multiple drills such as ship-aircraft coordination and live firing, the training fully tested the task group's system-of-systems operational capability and honed its ability to perform diverse tasks under complex conditions.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
Neeson, with that gravelly affect honed over years of geriatric action movies, is fantastically deadpan as Drebin, Pamela Anderson’s scat-singing face is excellent, and the sheer volume of jokes, not to mention the hit-to-miss ratio, is a marvel.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
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
Private event spaces are tucked throughout the building, including a room with a professional golf simulator that allows experienced golfers to hone their craft.
—Kansas City Star, 4 Dec. 2025
What will no doubt remain consistent is Kate’s use of fashion as a soft power tool, a skill the late Queen Elizabeth honed during her reign on the throne, and something Kate clearly studied as well.
—Monique Jessen, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
Through multiple drills such as ship-aircraft coordination and live firing, the training fully tested the task group's system-of-systems operational capability and honed its ability to perform diverse tasks under complex conditions.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
Neeson, with that gravelly affect honed over years of geriatric action movies, is fantastically deadpan as Drebin, Pamela Anderson’s scat-singing face is excellent, and the sheer volume of jokes, not to mention the hit-to-miss ratio, is a marvel.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hone
Cite this Entry
“Hone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hone. Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share