What does hone mean?

Definitions for hone
hoʊnhone

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word hone.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. honeverb

    a whetstone made of fine gritstone; used for sharpening razors

  2. honeverb

    sharpen with a hone

    "hone a knife"

  3. perfect, honeverb

    make perfect or complete

    "perfect your French in Paris!"

GCIDE

  1. Honeverb

    to render more precise or more effective; as, to hone one's skills.

Wiktionary

  1. honenoun

    A sharpening stone composed of extra-fine grit used for removing the burr or curl from the blade of a razor or some other edge tool.

  2. honenoun

    A machine tool used in the manufacture of precision bores.

  3. honeverb

    To sharpen with a hone.

  4. honeverb

    To use a hone to produce a precision bore.

  5. honeverb

    To refine or master (a skill).

  6. honeverb

    To make more acute, intense, or effective.

  7. Etymology: From hon ‘whetstone’, from han, from hainō (compare Dutch heen, Norwegian hein), from ḱeh₃i- ‘to sharpen’ (compare Greek κώνος ‘cone’, Persian ‘whetstone’).

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Honenoun

    A whetstone for a rasor.

    Etymology: This word Meric Casaubon derives from ἀϰονὴ; Franciscus Junius from hogsaen, Welsh; Stephen Skinner, who is always rational, from hæn, Saxon, a stone; hænan , to stone.

    A hone and a parer, to pare away grass. Thomas Tusser, Husband.

  2. To Honeverb

    To pine; to long for any thing.

    Etymology: hongian, Saxon.

Wikipedia

  1. Hone

    Honing is a kind of metalworking.

ChatGPT

  1. hone

    To hone is to refine or perfect something over time, often in skills or in a particular field. It can also refer to the act of sharpening a tool or instrument.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Honeverb

    to pine; to lament; to long

  2. Honenoun

    a kind of swelling in the cheek

  3. Honenoun

    a stone of a fine grit, or a slab, as of metal, covered with an abrading substance or powder, used for sharpening cutting instruments, and especially for setting razors; an oilstone

  4. Honeverb

    to sharpen on, or with, a hone; to rub on a hone in order to sharpen; as, to hone a razor

  5. Etymology: [Cf. Icel. hn a knob.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Hone

    hōn, n. a stone of a fine grit for sharpening instruments.—v.t. to sharpen as on a hone. [A.S. hán; Ice. hein; allied to Gr. kōnos, a cone.]

  2. Hone

    hōn, v.i. to pine, moan, grieve. [Perh. Fr. hogner, to grumble.]

Suggested Resources

  1. HONE

    What does HONE stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the HONE acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. HONE

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hone is ranked #12199 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Hone surname appeared 2,553 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Hone.

    88.9% or 2,270 total occurrences were White.
    3.8% or 98 total occurrences were Asian.
    3% or 78 total occurrences were Black.
    2.1% or 56 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    1.4% or 36 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    0.5% or 15 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of hone in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of hone in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of hone in a Sentence

  1. Val Saengphaibul:

    They simply have more time to understand and hone their craft without worrying about work, bills, and the rent which could potentially inflate the number of young, experimental hackers.

  2. David Geffen:

    Yale is well known for having one of the most respected drama programs in the country. So, when they approached me with this opportunity, I knew Yale was the right place to begin to change the way Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg think about funding arts education, removing the tuition barrier will allow an even greater diversity of talented people to develop and hone their skills in front of, on, and behind Yale's stages.

  3. Donald Trump:

    You know, if he becomes the nominee, he'll have to sort of hone his criticisms a little more finely because the facts will be easy to marshal, but you know, he's good at this, that's what he does. And the people that he is telling it to now basically have only heard that story, so they believe it and it's probably good politics for him.

  4. Chandler Massey:

    I think I learned how to be professional—the shooting demands and the financial demands were stuff you really have to be on your game at all times, Massey said. I think it helped me hone my craft. i think it’s because we do juicy story lines and we are not afraid to push the envelope and go a little crazy sometime. But I think also the rich tapestry of characters also helps make it a juicy show.

  5. Kia Hamadanchy:

    As Democrats, we have a lot of issues with our messaging and winning elections, these primaries are going to allow people to kind of hone that message.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

hone#10000#28390#100000

Translations for hone

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • esmoladoraCatalan, Valencian
  • bruska, brus, brousek, pilovat, vybrousit, ostřit, nabrousit, brousit, naostřitCzech
  • honen, feinschleifen, Schleifstein, ziehschleifen, ausschleifen, ausfeilen, WetzsteinGerman
  • asperón, amolar, afiladera, aguzadera, amoladera, muela, aguzar, afilarSpanish
  • با سنگ تیز کردنPersian
  • hoonata, liipata, hoonaustyökalu, liippakivi, hioaFinnish
  • perfectionner, aiguiserFrench
  • mola, affinare, cote, molare, affilare, arrotareItalian
  • とぐ, 砥石Japanese
  • oroiMāori
  • scherp maken, verfijnen, kalibreren, slijpen, aanzettenDutch
  • esmerarPortuguese
  • точить, хон, брусок, точильный камень, оттачивать, оселок, затачивать, хонинговатьRussian
  • skärpa, bryne, bryna, slipa, finslipa, brynstenSwedish
  • சாணைTamil

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"hone." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 14 Mar. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/hone>.

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    the quality of being facile in speech and writing
    A volubility
    B omphalos
    C collation
    D impounding

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