stone

1 of 4

noun

ˈstōn 

1

: a concretion of earthy or mineral matter:

a(1)

: such a concretion of indeterminate size or shape

(2)

: rock

b

: a piece of rock for a specified function: such as

(1)

: a building block

(2)

: a paving block

(3)

: a precious stone : gem

(4)

: gravestone

(5)

: grindstone

(6)

: whetstone

(7)

: a surface upon which a drawing, text, or design to be lithographed is drawn or transferred

2

: something resembling a small stone: such as

a

: calculus sense 3a

b

: the hard central portion of a drupaceous fruit (such as a peach)

c

: a hard stony seed (as of a date)

3

plural usually stone : any of various units of weight

especially : an official British unit equal to 14 pounds (6.3 kilograms)

4

a

: curling stone

b

: a round playing piece used in various games (such as backgammon or go)

5

: a stand or table with a smooth flat top on which to impose or set type

stone

2 of 4

verb

stoned; stoning; stones

transitive verb

1

: to hurl stones at

especially : to kill by pelting with stones

2

archaic : to make hard or insensitive to feeling

3

: to face, pave, or fortify with stones

4

: to remove the stones or seeds of (a fruit)

5

a

: to rub, scour, or polish with a stone

b

: to sharpen with a whetstone

stone

3 of 4

adverb

: entirely, utterly

—used as an intensive

—often used in combination

stone-broke

stone-dead

stone

4 of 4

adjective

1

: of, relating to, or made of stone

2

: absolute, utter

pure stone craziness

—Edwin Shrake

Phrases

in stone

: in or into a permanent and unchangeable state

plans are not set in stone

Synonyms

Noun

• gravestone
• headstone
• monument
• tombstone

Verb

• edge
• grind
• hone
• sharpen
• strop
• whet

Adjective

• absolute
• all-out
• arrant
• blank
• blooming [chiefly British]
• bodacious [Southern & Midland]
• categorical
• categoric
• clean
• complete
• consummate
• crashing
• damn
• damned
• dead
• deadly
• definite
• downright
• dreadful
• fair
• flat
• flat-out
• out-and-out
• outright
• perfect
• plumb
• profound
• pure
• rank
• regular
• sheer
• simple
• stark
• straight-out
• thorough
• thoroughgoing
• total
• unadulterated
• unalloyed
• unconditional
• unmitigated
• unqualified
• utter
• very

Examples of stone in a Sentence

Noun

The pedestal is made of stone.

His birthdate and date of death were carved on the stone.

Verb

He was stoned to death for his crimes.

Stone the peaches before serving.

Adverb

The soup was stone cold.

Adjective

the stone stupidity of the senator's statements embarrassed even her staffers

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Lower-level tavern with arched stones and a beamed ceiling. —Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 6 Dec. 2024

Restoring the roof would also enlist skilled carpenters, stone workers and artisans trained in ancestral techniques with roots in French and European history. —Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 6 Dec. 2024

Adjective

The soils are predominantly stone with abundant limestone. —Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 25 May 2023

The Aris sub-collection represents a group of multi-stone pieces with mixed-shape diamonds, while Monaco includes quintessential princess cut diamonds, and Reign embodies sophistication with glamorous diamonds and gemstone pieces. —Lauren Tappan, Town & Country, 12 Oct. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English stān; akin to Old High German stein stone, Old Church Slavic stěna wall, and perhaps to Sanskrit styāyate it hardens — more at steato-

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing stone

• a heart of stone
• altar stone
• a stone's throw
• a stone's throw away
• carved/etched/set/written in stone
• cinnamon stone
• curling stone
• foundation stone
• hard stone
• kidney stone
• kill two birds with one stone
• leave no stone unturned
• living stone
• paving stone
• philosopher's stone
• pudding stone
• Rosetta stone
• sink like a stone
• stepping stone
• stone-blind
• stone broke
• stone canal
• stone cell
• stone china
• stone-cold
• stone crab
• stone-deaf
• stone-faced
• stone fly
• stone fruit
• stone-ground
• stone roller
• stone's throw
• stone the crows
• stone wall

Kids Definition

stone

1 of 4 noun

ˈstōn 

1

a

: earth or mineral matter hardened in a mass

b

: a piece of rock not as fine as gravel

throw stones

c

: a piece of rock used for some special purpose (as for a monument or in construction)

d

: gem sense 1b

2

a

: calculus sense 2a

b

: a stony seed or one (as of a plum) enclosed in a stony cover

3

plural usually stone : any of various units of weight

especially : a British unit equal to 14 pounds (6.3 kilograms)

stone

2 of 4 adjective

: of, relating to, or made of stone

stone

3 of 4 verb

stoned; stoning

1

: to throw stones at

especially : to kill by hitting with stones

2

: to remove the stones or seeds of (a fruit)

stoner noun

stone

4 of 4 adverb

: in a complete manner : entirely

the soup is stone cold

—often used in combination

they are stone-broke

Medical Definition

stone

noun

ˈstōn 

1

: calculus sense 1

2

plural usually stone : any of various units of weight

especially : an official British unit equal to 14 pounds (6.3 kilograms)

Biographical Definition

Stone 1 of 3

biographical name (1)

ˈstōn 

Harlan Fiske 1872–1946 American jurist; chief justice U.S. Supreme Court (1941–46)

Stone

2 of 3

biographical name (2)

Irving 1903–1989 originally surname Tennenbaum American writer

Stone

3 of 3

biographical name (3)

Lucy 1818–1893 American suffragist