1
as in to sharpen
to make sharp or sharper
honed the knife's blade to razor-like sharpness honed his crossword-puzzle skills by reading the dictionary as though it were a thrilling novel
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2
as in to rub
to make smooth by friction
honed the edge of the axe until it was amazingly sharp
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hone
On Thursday and Friday, the fine details will be honed on the training ground.
—
Paul Taylor, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
That’s when Bakker can hone Salaün’s intangibles, sharpening the areas that drew the organization’s attention and got the Hornets’ decision-makers excited enough to select him sixth overall in the NBA Draft in June when few had ever heard of him.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2025
The secret lies in a remarkable genetic and biochemical toolkit honed through eons of evolutionary pressure.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
In each location, Blaine encounters masters who possess incredible abilities honed over years or passed down through centuries.
—Tony Bradley, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hone
Paul Taylor, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
That’s when Bakker can hone Salaün’s intangibles, sharpening the areas that drew the organization’s attention and got the Hornets’ decision-makers excited enough to select him sixth overall in the NBA Draft in June when few had ever heard of him.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2025
The secret lies in a remarkable genetic and biochemical toolkit honed through eons of evolutionary pressure.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
In each location, Blaine encounters masters who possess incredible abilities honed over years or passed down through centuries.
—Tony Bradley, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hone
Verb
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If managed well, this can be a constructive inflection point: a chance to sharpen CISA’s focus, streamline its operations and reinforce coordination with both the private sector and other federal agencies.—
Emil Sayegh,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Divisions of labor sharpened, with women's work increasingly taking place within the home.—
Amanda Ruggeri,
Time,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Gently rub away any remaining margarine with a paper towel.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
16 Apr. 2025
-
Sometimes even small things can rub a customer wrong.—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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When the Doctor is planning to break into memory banks to search for answers about why robots and people suddenly stopped peacefully coexisting, Belinda decides to use a polishing robot to lead the robots to her.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
12 Apr. 2025
-
Offer to polish the slides, do research, or bring everything together.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
This is a major project that requires dismantling, sanding, stripping, and prepping cabinets properly for the best-looking results.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2025
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Corbet’s real crush is on the 1990s and 2000s products of high-end, coffee-table-book designers such as Tadao Ando or Peter Zumthor, who favoured singular, funeral monuments, with an obsessive sanding away of brutalism’s rugged surfaces.—
Matt Shaw,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Now, Lionel Messi and Miami have ground to make up on their home pitch.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
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On TV and in real life, the bastards were grinding us down.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The lawsuit was initially filed against Meta — then called Facebook — in 2020, during Mr. Trump's first term, before being amended in 2021.—
Jacob Rosen,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2025
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No charges were filed against Darvish as of April 13.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hone. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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