1
as in sharpens
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rubs
to make smooth by friction
honed the edge of the axe until it was amazingly sharp
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Recent Examples of hones
Both films revolved around Mitchie (Lovato), who hones her vocal talents at the camp alongside the Gray brothers Shane (Joe Jonas), Nate (Nick Jonas), and Jason (Kevin Jonas).
—
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2025
To survive a ruthless winnowing—to go from one of about 16,000 high-school quarterbacks each year to one of the 10 good ones in the NFL to one of the three or so each generation who earn the Hall of Fame’s gold jacket—hones certain traits within them and strips others away.
—Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
Training also hones employability skills and offers guidance for honing college and career paths.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 1 Sep. 2025
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2025
To survive a ruthless winnowing—to go from one of about 16,000 high-school quarterbacks each year to one of the 10 good ones in the NFL to one of the three or so each generation who earn the Hall of Fame’s gold jacket—hones certain traits within them and strips others away.
—Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
Training also hones employability skills and offers guidance for honing college and career paths.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hones
Verb
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European resistance sharpens questions over legitimacy But conversations at Davos and beyond this week also underscored resistance from some European governments, raising questions about the board's legitimacy, leadership structure, and relationship to existing multilateral institutions.—
Willem Marx,
NPR,
22 Jan. 2026
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For example, a marketer who freelances on the side sharpens their creative and analytical abilities, while a software developer working on personal projects gains exposure to new tools and technologies.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Dramatic silence after someone makes a comment that rubs them the wrong way.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
25 Dec. 2025
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Finally, with the boom of a cannon and the roar of the crowd, each team member and coach rubs Howard’s Rock for luck before hurtling down the hill toward the home sideline.—
Elizabeth Hutchison Hicklin,
Southern Living,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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This week’s strikes came as the conflict grinds through its fourth winter, plunging cities into prolonged energy blackouts while temperatures dip well below freezing and are forecast to drop further.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
11 Jan. 2026
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But Kingstown grinds him up through the prison riots, through being fired from his job to accidentally being responsible for the death of his mother.—
Demetrius Patterson,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Chapman sands his board occasionally to remove this top layer of funk.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Atmos annually files a request to redo its rates, and has previously cited infrastructure improvements as a reason for increasing costs.—
Devyani Chhetri,
Dallas Morning News,
20 Jan. 2026
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The District Attorney’s Office routinely files pretrial detention motions in cases involving these types of charges.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hones. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.
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