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View synonyms for hone

hone

1

[ hohn ]

verb (used with object)

, honed, hon·ing.
  1. to make more acute or effective; improve; perfect:

    to hone one's skills.

  2. to sharpen on a whetstone with a fine, compact texture:

    to hone a carving knife.

  3. to enlarge or finish (a hole) using a precision tool with a mechanically rotated abrasive tip.


noun

  1. a whetstone of fine, compact texture for sharpening razors and other cutting tools.
  2. a precision tool with a mechanically rotated abrasive tip, for enlarging holes to precise dimensions.

hone

2

[ hohn ]

verb (used without object)

, honed, hon·ing.
  1. South Midland and Southern U.S. to yearn; long:

    to hone for the farm life; to hone after peach pie.

  2. Archaic. to moan and groan.

hone

1

/ həʊn /

verb

  1. often foll byfor or after to yearn or pine
  2. to moan or grieve
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

hone

2

/ həʊn /

noun

  1. a fine whetstone, esp for sharpening razors
  2. a tool consisting of a number of fine abrasive slips held in a machine head, rotated and reciprocated to impart a smooth finish to cylinder bores, etc
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. tr to sharpen or polish with or as if with a hone
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Usage

Hone is sometimes wrongly used where home is meant: this device makes it easier to home in on (not hone in on ) the target
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Other Words From

  • hon·er noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of hone1

First recorded before 950; Middle English noun hone, hain “whetstone”; Old English hān “stone, boundary stone, rock”; cognate with Old Norse hein “hone”; akin to cone

Origin of hone2

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Anglo-French honer (unrecorded); Old French hogner “to grumble, growl,” from Germanic; compare Old Saxon hōnian “to abuse, revile”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of hone1

C17: from Old French hogner to growl, probably of Germanic origin; compare Old High German hōnen to revile

Origin of hone2

Old English hān stone; related to Old Norse hein
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Example Sentences

The revenge-obsessed convict keeping body and mind honed for his chance.

In the first entry of a two-movie telling, Elphaba is a reserved, gifted young woman trying to hone her skills and maybe someday partner with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

It will also hone the technology to reach 13 to 15 kilometers, where it can be nearly hot enough to melt lead and pressures are higher than those in the deepest ocean trenches.

But Gottlieb said she challenged her team to use that stretch to try new things and learn what works with a new roster, all the while honing in details that would come in handy later.

“Brighter Days” finds the artist fusing rock ’n’ roll, country and bluegrass touchstones into a clarity of vision that he’s honed since rising from the Los Angeles cowpunk scene in the 1980s.

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HondurasHonecker