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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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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Recent Examples of hone
The deal is that Crow-Armstrong will continue to hone his craft, and the Cubs will continue to give him the patience and latitude to develop as a hitter.
—
Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Your skills have been honed over years of thinking critically, assessing risks, understanding the subject matter and its hidden problems, and achieving tangible and valuable results.
—Joyce Mazero, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Lessons learned While many countries were hit by U.S. tariffs this month for the first time, China honed its response during previous bouts of the Sino-American trade war.
—Beijing and Washington Bureaus, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
Afterward, students will hone the lesson further through enrichment, or relearn the lesson through small-group tutoring.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hone
Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Your skills have been honed over years of thinking critically, assessing risks, understanding the subject matter and its hidden problems, and achieving tangible and valuable results.
—Joyce Mazero, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Lessons learned While many countries were hit by U.S. tariffs this month for the first time, China honed its response during previous bouts of the Sino-American trade war.
—Beijing and Washington Bureaus, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
Afterward, students will hone the lesson further through enrichment, or relearn the lesson through small-group tutoring.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hone
Verb
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As future data sharpens these measurements, the findings could point us in a weird new direction – perhaps even challenging Einstein’s theory of gravity itself.—
Ashley Ross,
The Conversation,
16 Apr. 2025
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Instead, double down on nurturing customer relationships, enhancing user experience and sharpening your differentiation.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This is an effective way to acknowledge foresight without rubbing it in, says Malka Shaw, a licensed clinical social worker in Nutley, N.J.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
30 Apr. 2025
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After she's clambered over, Harper gently rubs her brother's back before snuggling up next to him.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The usual approach looks like this: find the job, polish your resume, hit apply, and hope for the best.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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Under Ledru, Tiffany is polishing the brand by linking its legacy to the now.—
Thomas Waller,
Footwear News,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This is a major project that requires dismantling, sanding, stripping, and prepping cabinets properly for the best-looking results.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2025
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Corbet’s real crush is on the 1990s and 2000s products of high-end, coffee-table-book designers such as Tadao Ando or Peter Zumthor, who favoured singular, funeral monuments, with an obsessive sanding away of brutalism’s rugged surfaces.—
Matt Shaw,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Just grinding that long, and then to finally get back.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2025
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The place is a hit, though amid the music and revelry and sweaty bumping and grinding, Smoke and Stack have their hands full, making sure, for instance, that their patrons don’t try to pay for their drinks with wooden nickels.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Feldstein Soto said the UCLA Police Department referred 245 arrests and all were declined for filing due to insufficient evidence.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2025
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The case, originally filed in 2012, accused Sutter of attempting to amass monopoly power in northern California through all-or-nothing contracts, requiring insurers to include all of its hospitals and physician groups in health plans.—
Annika Merrilees,
Sacbee.com,
26 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hone. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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