skin and bones
idiom
variants
or skin and bone
informal
: very thin in a way that is unattractive and unhealthy
After the illness, he was skin and bones.
The starving dog was nothing but skin and bones.
Examples of skin and bones in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Remove the skin and bones from the chicken legs.
—
Saveur Editors, Saveur, 22 Jan. 2026
There’s not a lot of meat on ham hocks, but there’s a lot of skin and bone, which after a long simmer infuse the potlikker with collagen, like a rich bone broth.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2025
Collagen keeps skin and bones firm yet elastic.2 Vitamin C can also help prevent pigmentation (dark spots) caused by ultraviolet light.15
6.
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 23 Dec. 2025
However, stuffing, seasonings, skin and bones are a hard no for your canine friends and can create digestive issues for them.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skin and bones
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Saveur Editors, Saveur, 22 Jan. 2026
There’s not a lot of meat on ham hocks, but there’s a lot of skin and bone, which after a long simmer infuse the potlikker with collagen, like a rich bone broth.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2025
Collagen keeps skin and bones firm yet elastic.2 Vitamin C can also help prevent pigmentation (dark spots) caused by ultraviolet light.15
6.
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 23 Dec. 2025
However, stuffing, seasonings, skin and bones are a hard no for your canine friends and can create digestive issues for them.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skin and bones
Cite this Entry
“Skin and bones.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skin%20and%20bones. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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