hone

verb

ˈhōn How to pronounce hone (audio)
Definition of honenext
1
as in to sharpen
to make sharp or sharper honed the knife's blade to razor-like sharpness honed his crossword-puzzle skills by reading the dictionary as though it were a thrilling novel

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to rub
to make smooth by friction honed the edge of the axe until it was amazingly sharp

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hone Texas’ most promising legal minds will have a new home to hone their craft after Texas A&M officially opened its new law school building Wednesday. — Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Aug. 2026 Bush and Bell both honed their leadership skills in Ferguson amid the racial unrest that followed the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in 2014. — ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026 Araki, who has honed his craft on the swift schedules of both low-budget movies and episodic television, says there’s something to be gained from having the momentum that comes with never being able to slow down. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 3 Aug. 2026 There is an unmistakable finesse here, a precision that Sullivan, who graduated from Tulane with a degree in finance and management, honed at the Culinary Institute of America. — Anne Byrn, Southern Living, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hone
  1. sharpen
  2. rub
  3. polish
  4. sand
  5. grind
  6. file
Verb
  • Follow The Decision, Not Just The Model One way to sharpen that oversight is to stop treating the model as the whole unit of analysis.
    — Gerald J. Leonard, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Her boredom was sharpened by the discovery that most of her initial assumptions were wrong.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of sharpen
Verb
  • For instance, Qidi had to include a piece of Velcro to prevent the Polar Cooler tube from rubbing against the glass surface inside the top cover.
    — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Gently rub the entire surface in small circular motions, then use a dry cloth to wipe down the entire surface.
    — Emily Williams, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of rub
Verb
  • Under this law, employers are required to take steps to protect workers, such as providing protective respirators and using water to suppress dust, when employees are cutting, grinding or polishing slabs.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Firestar operated a large factory inside Surat’s Special Economic Zone, a duty-free enclave that allowed the company to cut, polish and manufacture jewelry for export markets.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of polish
Verb
  • Compared to the more flawed Sherlock Holmes or James Bond — two other literary heroes whose various screen iterations have often, albeit not always, sanded down their complexities — Reacher is barely a character at all.
    — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026
  • That system moves sand closer to the well sites before the trucks complete the final portion of the trip.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of sand
Verb
  • The 4-cup mini chopper can chop or grind ingredients in seconds, making quick work of onions, garlic, herbs, and more.
    — Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The lineup has expanded beyond its viral multi-balm, too, with lightweight SPF sticks and even a mess-minimizing grinding cleansing balm.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of grind
Verb
  • Lenti Ponsetto, after 18 years leading DePaul athletics—and 42 years overall at the private Big East school—announced her retirement in June 2020, just six weeks after Conviser filed her initial suit in Cook County court.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Frenkel said that if criminality is found in complex investigations such as this one, federal prosecutors will typically file mail or wire fraud charges that carry up to 20 years in prison.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of file

Browse Nearby Words

honchos
hone
honed
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Cite this Entry

“Hone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hone. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of hone for Spanish Speakers

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