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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hone
The goalkeeper honed his craft, making 40 appearances for the club.
—
Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 4 May 2026
The blade was at least ten inches long and double-edged, honed on one side with a wavy scalloped finish, the other a jagged toothing like a lumberjack’s saw.
—Chang-Rae Lee, New Yorker, 3 May 2026
This was another knife with a slightly less sharp factory edge that needed several passes on a honing rod.
—Jesse Raub, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 May 2026
But Highsmith hones the drama by putting us in Chester’s head.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hone
Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 4 May 2026
The blade was at least ten inches long and double-edged, honed on one side with a wavy scalloped finish, the other a jagged toothing like a lumberjack’s saw.
—Chang-Rae Lee, New Yorker, 3 May 2026
This was another knife with a slightly less sharp factory edge that needed several passes on a honing rod.
—Jesse Raub, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 May 2026
But Highsmith hones the drama by putting us in Chester’s head.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hone
Verb
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As usual, the music feels like a church revival crossed with a classic R&B revue, sharpened by the social commentary of his beloved reggae and hip-hop.—
Steve Appleford,
SPIN,
18 May 2026
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That gap between the imagined object and the real one sharpened the launch rather than softening it.—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Use this solution to blot the top layer of the mattress, trying to moisten and gently rub versus soak the mattress.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
16 May 2026
-
The plastic bristles coax out loose hair as your cat rubs against it.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Plenty of people already use AI to polish text in emails or other documents before sending them, and this is essentially the same thing for voice input.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
12 May 2026
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Something about a summer ceremony invites fun into a potentially formal dress code—your attire should be polished, yes, but can lean playful and bright.—
Sarah Zendejas,
Vogue,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Crucially, the entire supply chain traces back to quartz — essentially sand — with no dependency on China.—
Gene Berdichevsky,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
-
George, the birthday boy beside her, stuck to his own slick style, wearing a black polo top, off-white pants with a beige belt, and sand suede loafers.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Whereas most of his teammates got their start playing high school and college ball, Natty began by grinding it out in the Northern California mountain town of Lake Tahoe, the Washington Nationals said in a news release.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
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But public health experts say this isn’t like the early days of COVID, when cruise ships were ground zero for outbreaks and hospitals were overwhelmed with sick patients doctors weren’t sure how to treat.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
In the old system, the administrator found an incident report from April 30, 2002, filed by an officer named Darrell Mayhew, who had found Djena by herself in the park near the Toures’ residence.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Osment filed for divorce on March 7, 2025, citing irreconcilable differences.—
Jane LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hone. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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