hone — to sharpen or refine a skill, ability, or tool through practice
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to sharpen or refine a skill, ability, or tool through practice
Pronunciation (IPA): /hoʊn/
Example Sentences
- After years of practice, he honed his ability to fall asleep anywhere - even during boring meetings.
- She honed her negotiation skills by arguing with telemarketers.
- Students must hone their critical thinking skills for the CSAT exam.
hone
VERB[/hoʊn/]
to sharpen or refine a skill, ability, or tool through practice
The old swordsmith hones the blade until it gleams razor-sharp.
Hone your blade on stone, working alone.
Got the picture? Now let's practice.
🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Old English 'han' meaning to possess or own, later developing the sense of 'to sharpen' (a whetstone was called a 'hone'). The word may be related to Old Norse 'hein' meaning stone.
Breakdown
hone (single morpheme) - no productive internal breakdown; the word itself is the root, originally referring to a sharpening stone, then extending to mean 'to sharpen' or 'to refine'
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“After years of practice, he honed his ability to fall asleep anywhere - even during boring meetings.”
“She honed her negotiation skills by arguing with telemarketers.”
“Students must hone their critical thinking skills for the CSAT exam.”
“The athlete honed her technique through countless hours of training.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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