stone

noun

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\ 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; stones

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-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

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 Colter’s designs and use of stone in harmony with the natural surroundings are sublime — none more so than one of our last stops, the Desert View Watchtower, a 23-mile drive east from Grand Canyon Village. — Washington Post, "Four national parks in four seasons," 30 Apr. 2021 The exhibit — comprised of contemporary pieces that highlight Black individuals and families — features works by the Shona people of Zimbabwe, carved from serpentine and other types of stone. — Dallas News, "Dallas Arboretum kicks off first-ever Black Heritage Celebration," 29 Apr. 2021 Jacques de Morgan, the head of the Egyptian Antiquities Service from 1892 to 1897, protected the temple of Kom Ombo from flooding by reinforcing the riverbank with pulverized blocks of stone that turned out to be from the temple’s floor. — Ursula Lindsey, The New York Review of Books, "Ancient Egypt for the Egyptians," 27 Apr. 2021 Moran also cites another study that aimed to answer a somewhat niche theory in archeology — that prehistoric man, without access to any sort of stone, might have used cold ice-age temperatures to freeze their own poop into tools. — James Grebey, Vulture, "Could You Really Stab Somebody With Their Own Frozen Blood or Is Mortal Kombat Lying to Me?," 19 Apr. 2021 That eddy of stone could be the flash-frozen millisecond of an explosion or the swirl of ancient galactic rubble adrift across ages. — BostonGlobe.com, "At Mass MoCA, Glenn Kaino builds a bridge between Bloody Sundays," 15 Apr. 2021 Where the original pyramid reached some 204 feet tall, the Great Pyramid of Khufu rose to over 481 feet and required millions of blocks of stone—about two and a half tons each. — Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, "The World’s 20 Most Impressive Ancient Builds," 8 Apr. 2021 Tujunga, 1925-1932 One of Southern California’s heroic, doomed utopian colonies, founded in the 1880s to be a self-sustaining settlement of idealists and individualists, some of whom built their own striking houses of local stone. — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, "What city do you live in? Don’t say Hollywood," 9 Mar. 2021 Many archaeologists have successfully applied this approach, called microwear analysis, to artifacts made of stone. — Bridget Alex, Smithsonian Magazine, "Why Did Ancient Indigenous Groups in Brazil Hunt Sharks?," 8 Feb. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Maleficent rises to protect her peaceful forest kingdom from invaders, but a terrible betrayal turns her pure heart to stone and twists her into a creature bent on revenge. — Ed Stockly, Los Angeles Times, "Movies on TV this week: James Dean in ‘Giant’ on TCM and more," 2 Apr. 2021 Maleficent rises to protect her peaceful forest kingdom from invaders, but a terrible betrayal turns her pure heart to stone and twists her into a creature bent on revenge. — Ed Stockly, Los Angeles Times, "Movies on TV this week: James Dean in ‘Giant’ on TCM and more," 2 Apr. 2021 Maleficent rises to protect her peaceful forest kingdom from invaders, but a terrible betrayal turns her pure heart to stone and twists her into a creature bent on revenge. — Ed Stockly, Los Angeles Times, "Movies on TV this week: James Dean in ‘Giant’ on TCM and more," 2 Apr. 2021 The smart mop has a liquid capacity of 0.25-gallons and the ability to mop and sweep different types of flooring, from hardwood and tile to stone. — Melissa Lee, USA TODAY, "The 5 best Amazon deals you can get this Wednesday," 1 Apr. 2021 Every dragon bar one died fighting the Druun, a malignant force that looks like angry purple tumbleweeds and turned most of the people to stone. — Kyle Smith, National Review, "Disney’s Droopy Dragon Tale Puts Inclusivity above Story," 10 Mar. 2021 Maleficent rises to protect her peaceful forest kingdom from invaders, but a terrible betrayal turns her pure heart to stone and twists her into a creature bent on revenge. — Los Angeles Times, "Movies on TV this week: ‘Lust for Life’; ‘Platoon’ and more," 5 Mar. 2021 The Sumerians, who first put stylus to stone more than 5,000 years ago, used the star symbol to denote a king or a god on cuneiform tablets. — Cory Oldweiler, Star Tribune, "Review: 'First Light: Switching on Stars at the Dawn of Time,' by Emma Chapman," 19 Feb. 2021 Five hundred years ago, we're told in a prologue, dragons sacrificed themselves for humans when a mystical evil called the Druun passed through the lands of Kumandra and turned many to stone. — Lindsey Bahr, Star Tribune, "Review: 'Raya and the Last Dragon' is a dazzling adventure," 3 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Hints of honeysuckle float above lemon, fresh herbs and wet-stone minerality on the nose, with beautiful ripe stone fruit, grapefruit and guava following on the palate. — Sara L. Schneider, Robb Report, "13 Superb New Sauvignon Blancs to Drink This Spring," 26 Apr. 2021 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.