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 of hone

Verb (1)

• sharpen

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

Similarly, the organization is an early training ground for developing leadership and business skills that millions of young girls, much like Olive and the film’s other protagonists, can hone through selling cookies. — Bedatri D. Choudhury, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Aug. 2026

Sure enough, during our interview, her answers betray a bombastic staccato honed on the stump. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

That’s partly because so much of who Gaby is has been carefully honed by the writers and Williams to align with the actor’s voice. — Maureen Lee Lenker, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026

The authors called the safety profile acceptable while noting more work will be done to hone the vaccine's safety-efficacy balance — vaccines often have a tradeoff of more side-effects with a higher dose for a stronger efficacy. — Joseph Kim, NPR, 7 Aug. 2026

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
• jone
• known
• loan

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