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

Meanwhile, Brianna, essentially orphaned in the 1970s, discovers a clue in historical documents that points to Jamie and Claire’s deaths, and decides to makes the dangerous journey through the stones to warn them. — Julie Kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Caitriona Balfe Is Evolving with Outlander," 31 Dec. 2018 The same stone used for the radiant-heated floors inside runs outside to the patio. — Nancy Keates, WSJ, "A Perfectionist Architect’s Experimental Home," 27 Dec. 2018 But after centuries of looting, the stones of the Pumapunku are so scattered that not one lies in its original place. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Archaeologists reconstruct pre-Columbian temple with 3D-printed blocks," 17 Dec. 2018 The stones inside act as the seeds for the Olea europaea tree. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "It Turns Out Olives Are Actually Fruits and Not Vegetables," 11 Dec. 2018 For example, the stone used for the living room walls comes from a quarry a couple of miles away. — Celia Barbour, House Beautiful, "Designer Cathy Chapman Uses Lighting In The Coolest Way For This Cozy Vermont Retreat," 3 Dec. 2018 Advocates claim the smooth brown stone is a natural antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory properties that can help with diarrhea or ulcers and, of paramount interest, curb your appetite and aid with weight loss. — Mari A. Schaefer, Philly.com, "Should you eat the avocado pit?," 25 June 2018 Some of them snapped selfies with stone-faced police who stood like sentinels, clad in heavy riot gear. — Stacy Meichtry, WSJ, "Riots Resurface Across France, Piling Pressure on Macron," 9 Dec. 2018 As the siege continued, villagers tried to march toward mosque in solidarity with the rebels, leading to clashes between stone-throwing protesters and government forces who deployed tear smoke shells and pellets. — Fox News, "Clashes erupt around Kashmir after Indian troops kill man," 27 Sep. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The female rats began getting stoned during the week of their mating period, and then for the 21 days of gestation. — Erik Lacitis, The Seattle Times, "‘Something wasn’t clicking’: WSU study shows offspring of pregnant rats exposed to THC have impaired development," 20 Nov. 2018 The van took Offred not to her death or her salvation, but to a trick, a brainchild of Aunt Lydia's (who is becoming more of a cartoon villain scene by scene) to punish the handmaids for refusing to stone Janine to death. — Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, "'The Handmaid's Tale' Season 2 premiere recap: Escape the pain," 25 Apr. 2018 When a kid gets in trouble, why does no one say at any point, ‘Why are you getting stoned? — Marcus Harrison Green, The Seattle Times, "Constantine unveils proposed $4 million budget for his Roadmap to Zero Youth Detention," 19 Sep. 2018 But Musk says he wasn't stoned at the time of the tweet. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Elon Musk says he is having the most “painful year of my career”," 17 Aug. 2018 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

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.