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 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

While nothing is set in stone with regards to the Ybor City stadium, the estimated cost of building it—featuring a retractable roof and glass walls but also the fewest seats of any in the majors—sits at $892 million. — Jon Tayler, SI.com, "The Rays' Proposed New Stadium Looks Beautiful, But Who Is Going to Pay for It?," 11 July 2018 It is not written in stone that the transatlantic bond will survive forever. — Michael Birnbaum, chicagotribune.com, "Ahead of summit, allies wonder: Will NATO survive Trump?," 9 July 2018 It is not written in stone that the transatlantic bond will survive forever. — Michael Birnbaum, Washington Post, "Ahead of NATO summit, allies wonder: Will NATO survive Trump?," 8 July 2018 But remember that astrology is a magical and helpful guide, rather than a scientific rulebook set in stone, so don't let a retrograde squash your dreams. — Sophie Saint Thomas, Allure, "How Mars Retrograde Will Affect Your Love Life and Career This Summer," 2 July 2018 There is talk of licensing the AmberNoon name to national department stores and on-line retailers, but nothing is set in stone — yet. — Elizabeth Wellington, Philly.com, "This sun-protective clothing line by a King of Prussia dermatologist is actually pretty cute | Elizabeth Wellington," 2 July 2018 His all-time legend status is set in stone in both the NFL and NCAA. — Stefan Stevenson, star-telegram, "TCU Power Index: LT's sterling career, reputation keeps shine glowing on Frogs," 22 June 2018 That’s not to say that these classifications — horror buffs, horror wimps — are totally set in stone. — Cari Romm, The Cut, "What Your Ability to Handle Horror Movies Says About You," 14 June 2018 Even with plans set in stone for months, the ceremony was spontaneous. — Alison Steinbach, azcentral, "Connecticut couple hikes into Grand Canyon to say 'I do'," 6 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

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 Ovechkin felt history turning to stone all around him. — Charles P. Pierce, SI.com, "Even After a Loss, Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals Remain Calm," 16 May 2018 Their heads were shaved, they were stripped half-naked, smeared with tar, paraded through towns and taunted, stoned, kicked, beaten, spat upon and sometimes even killed. — Ann Mah, Time, "This Picture Tells a Tragic Story of What Happened to Women After D-Day," 6 June 2018 But when Rexy is too stoned to perform one night, Miss Tracy urges Casey to go on. — Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, "Strutting their stuff in ‘The Legend of Georgia McBride’," 10 May 2018 Firefighters at Wayne Township [Ind.] Station 82 opened the door early Friday morning to a one-of-a-kind request for help: A frantic woman, distressed because her pet raccoon was stoned off of too much weed. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "Texas tussle stretches Senate map," 18 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.