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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rubs
to make smooth by friction
honed the edge of the axe until it was amazingly sharp
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hones
Verb
-
Capital might fuel expansion, but the process also sharpens leadership skills, deepens industry relationships and often reveals operational blind spots.—
Jessica Billingsley,
Rolling Stone,
2 Sep. 2025 -
Here, the messenger planet sharpens our focus and general attunement, urging us to choose our words and actions carefully.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
These lumps typically develop in areas of the body where the skin rubs together, and can be recurrent.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Today's their day for extra treats, belly rubs, and squirrel-chasing adventures at the park!—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
23 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
As the summer season grinds to a near halt, several holdover titles rounded out the top five.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
24 Aug. 2025
-
As Russia’s war machine grinds forward in eastern Ukraine, there is another offensive being waged far beyond the front line.—
Rachel Wilson,
CNN Money,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Only about a third of the Justice Department files on the case have been made public.—
Emily Goodin,
Miami Herald,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The Wall Street Journal went on to report that Bondi informed Trump that his name was in the DOJ’s Epstein files multiple times.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Aug. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Hones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hones. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share