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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
  • The real opportunity is to use AI to sharpen insight, improve timing and strengthen accountability.
    — Rabbi Yechezkel Moskowitz, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Mercury enters Leo and your 1st House of Self, sharpening your ideas, confidence, humor, and ability to make a memorable impression.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of sharpen
Verb
  • Brush or rub about one-quarter of the sauce all over the chicken and corn.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Dampen a cotton swab with the alcohol and gently rub the ink stain.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 9 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 banking business model is built atop an army of young analysts (and, in time, associates and VPs) grinding through deals.
    — Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • First Street Village, a 275-unit apartment complex built in 2023 that has ground-floor retail such as a wine bar, fitness center and pet groomer, got help from the city.
    — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 7 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hone. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on hone

Nglish: Translation of hone for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All