hone
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hone
a whetstone for sharpening cutting tools; to make more acute or effective; perfect: He honed his skills at his father’s side.
Not to be confused with:
home – one’s own house or residence; abode, dwelling, habitation; domicile; asylum: Home is where the heart is.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
hone 1
(hōn)n.
1. A fine-grained whetstone for giving a keen edge to a cutting tool.
2. A tool with a rotating abrasive tip for enlarging holes to precise dimensions.
tr.v. honed, hon·ing, hones
Phrasal Verb: 1. To sharpen on a fine-grained whetstone.
2. To perfect or make more intense or effective: a speaker who honed her delivery by long practice.
hone in Usage Problem
1. To move or advance toward a target or goal: The missiles honed in on the military installation.
2. To focus the attention or make progress achieving an objective: The lawyer honed in on the gist of the plaintiff's testimony.
[Middle English, from Old English hān, stone; see kō- in Indo-European roots. Hone in, alteration of home in.]
Usage Note: The verb home has been used to mean "to return home" (what homing pigeons do) since the 1920s. The introduction of radar in World War II gave it the related meaning "to return home by following a beam or landmark" and then "to find a target via a beam or signal," as when pilots and aircraft homed on a target. In the 1950s the verb was extended to the figurative sense "to narrow attention on" and in was added, so the expression became home in on. A decade later hone in on, containing the verb meaning "to sharpen," began to be used in the same sense. Presumably the substitution was encouraged both by the similarity in sound and the overlap in metaphorical meaning: sharpening one's focus made as much sense as directing it homeward. Whatever its origin, hone in, despite being common, is often viewed as a mistake. In our 2015 survey, 36 percent of the Usage Panel disapproved of the example Direct mail allows you to hone in on your target audience, and 40 percent would not accept The purpose of the meeting was to hone in on strategies for improving the company's performance. If you prefer to employ the more widely accepted idiom, stick with home in or use zero in.
hone 2
(hōn)intr.v. honed, hon·ing, hones Informal
1. To whine or moan.
2. To hanker; yearn.
[Obsolete French hoigner, from Old French, perhaps from hon, cry of discontent.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
hone
(həʊn)n
1. (Tools) a fine whetstone, esp for sharpening razors
2. (Tools) 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
vb
(Mechanical Engineering) (tr) to sharpen or polish with or as if with a hone
[Old English hān stone; related to Old Norse hein]
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
hone
(həʊn)vb (intr)
1. (often foll by: for or after) to yearn or pine
2. to moan or grieve
[C17: from Old French hogner to growl, probably of Germanic origin; compare Old High German hōnen to revile]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
hone1
(hoʊn)n., v. honed, hon•ing. n.
1. a whetstone of fine, compact texture for sharpening razors and other cutting tools.
2. a tool with a mechanically rotated abrasive tip for enlarging holes to precise dimensions.
v.t. 3. to sharpen on a hone.
4. to enlarge or finish (a hole) with a hone.
5. to make more acute or effective: to hone one's skills.
[before 950; Middle English (n.); Old English hān stone, rock; c. Old Norse hein hone]
hone2
(hoʊn)v.i. honed, hon•ing.
1. South Midland and Southern U.S. to yearn; long.
2. Archaic. to moan; groan.
[1590–1600; < Anglo-French *honer; Old French hogner to grumble, growl < Germanic; compare Old Saxon hōnian to abuse, revile]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
hone
Past participle: honed
Gerund: honing
| Imperative |
|---|
| hone |
| hone |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. | hone - a whetstone made of fine gritstone; used for sharpening razors whetstone - a flat stone for sharpening edged tools or knives |
| Verb | 1. | hone - sharpen with a hone; "hone a knife" sharpen - make sharp or sharper; "sharpen the knives" set - give a fine, sharp edge to a knife or razor |
| 2. | hone - make perfect or complete; "perfect your French in Paris!" ameliorate, improve, meliorate, amend, better - to make better; "The editor improved the manuscript with his changes" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
hone
verb
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
hone 1
verbhone 2
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
hioateroittaa
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
hone
[ˈhəʊn]Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
hone
n → Schleifstein m, → Wetzstein m
vt blade → schleifen; (fig) person → aufbauen; (as a successor) → heranziehen; skills → vervollkommnen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995