the bare bones

plural noun

: the most basic or important elements or parts of something

The company reduced the staff to the bare bones.

—often + of

What are the bare bones of the story?

Examples of the bare bones in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The series of photos and videos revealed the bare bones of a laundry room that is starting to come together. —Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 27 Dec. 2023

While a paddle and ball might be the bare bones of what’s required in order to start a game, a few accessories add to the experience. —Gabriela Izquierdo, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2023

While nether charted, Bennett considered the bare bones nature of his collaborations with the pianist Evans vital. —Phil Gallo, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019

There’s the bare bones, in-and-out body shower; the hair wash shower; the quick leg shave shower; and the everything shower, of course—which has been trending on TikTok as of late. —Megan Schaltegger, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 June 2023

Though building upon the bare bones subject material of the film was a daunting task, Chevalier’s talented cast easily fills in the gaps of Bologne’s life, painting a convincing picture of what trying to navigate 18th century France might have been like for him. —Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 21 Apr. 2023

These are the bare bones of the UCLA historian’s account of the 1991 killing of Latasha Harlins. —Boris Kachka, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2023