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

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

verb

1. tr to sharpen or polish with or as if with a hone

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

Other Words From

• hon·er noun

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”

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

Example Sentences

“He had honed his skills and was totally ready. And he is just a hell of a coach.”

From Los Angeles Times

Correspondents such as Savannah Guthrie frequently appeared on the channel, honing the skills that eventually brought her to NBC’s “Today.”

From Los Angeles Times

With imprisoned Feathers possessing alarmingly honed hacking skills, however, sinister doings will soon be afoot.

From Los Angeles Times

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.

From Los Angeles Times

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.

From Science Magazine

Related Words

• whet