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

Glenn carried himself with the confidence of someone who had honed his coaching craft through lessons learned playing for Bill Parcells and working under Sean Payton and Dan Campbell. —Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026

Elsewhere, young ones can hone their creativity in the art lab, experiment in the STEAM lab, or explore a replica of Fenway Park’s rooftop garden, where produce is grown on site. —Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 6 Jan. 2026

He’s honed his tough-talking image over years on television, including tireless appearances as a talking head on news shows and a brief flirtation with political candidacy in Canada. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026

CrowdStrike senior vice president of counter adversary Adam Meyers told Fortune these techniques have been honed after years of escalating pranks in video game spaces. —Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 1 Jan. 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
• 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