stone

noun

\ˈstōn

Definition of stone

(Entry 1 of 7)

1 : a concretion of earthy or mineral matter:

a(1) : such a concretion of indeterminate size or shape

(2) : rock

b : a piece of rock for a specified function: such as

(1) : a building block

(2) : a paving block

(3) : a precious stone : gem

(4) : gravestone

(5) : grindstone

(6) : whetstone

(7) : a surface upon which a drawing, text, or design to be lithographed is drawn or transferred

2 : something resembling a small stone: such as

a : calculus sense 3a

b : the hard central portion of a drupaceous fruit (such as a peach)

c : a hard stony seed (as of a date)

3 plural usually stone : any of various units of weight especially : an official British unit equal to 14 pounds (6.3 kilograms)

4a : curling stone

b : a round playing piece used in various games (such as backgammon or go)

5 : a stand or table with a smooth flat top on which to impose or set type

in stone

: in or into a permanent and unchangeable state plans are not set in stone

stone

verb

stoned; stoning

Definition of stone (Entry 2 of 7)

transitive verb

1 : to hurl stones at especially : to kill by pelting with stones

2 archaic : to make hard or insensitive to feeling

3 : to face, pave, or fortify with stones

4 : to remove the stones or seeds of (a fruit)

5a : to rub, scour, or polish with a stone

b : to sharpen with a whetstone

stone

adverb

Definition of stone (Entry 3 of 7)

: entirely, utterly —used as an intensive —often used in combination stone-brokestone-cold soupstone-dead

stone

adjective

Definition of stone (Entry 4 of 7)

1 : of, relating to, or made of stone

2 : absolute, utter pure stone craziness— Edwin Shrake

Stone

biographical name (1)

\ˈstōn

Definition of Stone (Entry 5 of 7)

Harlan Fiske 1872–1946 American jurist; chief justice U.S. Supreme Court (1941–46)

Stone

biographical name (2)

Definition of Stone (Entry 6 of 7)

Irving 1903–1989 originally surname Tennenbaum American writer

Stone

biographical name (3)

Definition of Stone (Entry 7 of 7)

Lucy 1818–1893 American suffragist

Other Words from stone Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about stone

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Examples of stone in a Sentence

Noun

The pedestal is made of stone. His birthdate and date of death were carved on the stone.

Verb

He was stoned to death for his crimes. Stone the peaches before serving.

Adverb

The soup was stone cold.

Adjective

the stone stupidity of the senator's statements embarrassed even her staffers

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The stone had teeth marks, leading archaeologists to believe it had been deliberately inserted into the child’s mouth after death — a bizarre, ancient practice to keep the child from rising from the dead and spreading the disease. — Kristine Phillips, The Seattle Times, "Archaeologists find ‘vampire burial’ site of a child feared capable of rising from the dead," 26 Oct. 2018 The Queen Mary's bandeau tiara features both large and small brilliant diamonds, and the center stone of the piece is actually a brooch with a fascinating backstory. — Maggie Maloney, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle Just Revealed How She Chose Her Royal Wedding Tiara," 26 Oct. 2018 According to video available at ABC News, the Humvee landed a stone’s throw from a civilian house, in a tree approximately thirty feet above ground. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "U.S. Air Force Accidentally Drops Humvee on Civilian Neighborhood," 25 Oct. 2018 There were also teeth marks on the stone's surface. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Fifth-century child’s skeleton shows evidence of “vampire burial”," 13 Oct. 2018 The simple villas offer ocean-front balconies and are just a stone’s throw away from a private pool and beach. — Lindsey Murray, Good Housekeeping, "Your Getaway Guide to Skopelos Island, Where "Mamma Mia" Was Filmed," 9 Oct. 2018 Radisson Red Hotel, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town A stone’s throw from the Zeitz MOCAA, the Radisson effectively enjoys the same prime location as the Silo Hotel. — Jane Broughton, Condé Nast Traveler, "16 Best Hotels in Cape Town," 14 Sep. 2018 Behind dark shades, the whites of his eyes were stained with lines matching the giant red stone on his golden ring. — Matt Blomberg, latimes.com, "There's a reason that the soccer team rescued from a cave in Thailand was so tough and resilient," 11 July 2018 Alrosa is exploring ways to trace the source of every diamond, potentially creating narratives for all its gems, something that had been reserved for only the largest stones sold at auction. — Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, "A Diamond Giant Plays Up Its Russian Ties to Appeal to Americans," 11 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Yoda-like, or vaguely stoned, the brand has in the past year established itself as the philosopher-poet of frozen meat sheets. — Rachel Sugar, Vox, "What happens when processed meat slices stop being polite ... and start getting real.," 28 Sep. 2018 Winovich stones his man at the point of attack, collapsing the pocket by himself, before Gary runs all the way down the tackle box to make a sack. — Nick Baumgardner, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan football's defense is championship caliber," 7 July 2018 And yes, they may quite possibly be stoned, swiping from their couch surrounded by snacks. — Sophie Saint Thomas, Allure, "What Your Zodiac Sign Says About Your Online Dating Style," 6 July 2018 This isn't just an infinity stones smash-and-grab kind of movie. — Jeneé Osterheldt, kansascity, "New 'Avengers' is so sad you'll cry infinite tears. In the dark. In fetal position | The Kansas City Star," 27 Apr. 2018 A few days later, the Blue Mountain School District, in eastern Pennsylvania, put buckets of river rocks in all its classrooms, the idea being for the kids to stone their would-be assassins. — David Sedaris, The New Yorker, "Active Shooter," 17 Mar. 2018 And Argentina scrambles upfield again ..... 84’: Dangerous Free Kick for Nigeria After an Ighalo shot is stoned in close by Armani, Nigeria recovers and wins a free kick at the top of the box. — Matthew Futterman And Andrew Das, New York Times, "Argentina Finds World Cup Salvation in Thriller Over Nigeria," 27 June 2018 The Dynamo went on to tie the Timbers, 1-1, but would have lost had Nelson not stoned Valeri again later in the first half. — Corey Roepken, Houston Chronicle, "Dynamo's Michael Nelson has performance he can build on," 15 Feb. 2018 Collaborating with stoned-sounding, scratchy-voiced rappers in electronic soundscapes is one of her necessary skills. — Jon Pareles, New York Times, "Christina Aguilera Exults in Her Voice on ‘Liberation’," 13 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Instead, a curved, gently sloped, stone path landscaped with shrubs, leads from the driveway to the front door. — Sally A. Downey, Philly.com, "In Lower Gwynedd, a renovated bungalow to grow old in," 5 Feb. 2018 Stone tools, animal bones and evidence of fire were also found within the same layer at the site. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Oldest Homo sapiens fossils discovered," 7 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stone.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.