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
The Irish have spent the last three weeks honing their fury into a sharp edge.
—
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 28 Mar. 2025
The new recipe for professional success is starting with your pre-existing skills, talents, and experiences, and then using AI to hone your work and make some of your processes faster, Cuban said.
—Megan Sauer, CNBC, 28 Mar. 2025
Wiggins and Kerr spent much of Tuesday trading compliments, which provided a refreshing shift from an otherwise tense — and sometimes awkward — space for Butler and the Heat to further hone their closure.
—James Jackson, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
Step 5: Feedback and iteration Both MVP and MVC frameworks rely on feedback to refine and hone their results.
—Matt Abrahams, TIME, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hone
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 28 Mar. 2025
The new recipe for professional success is starting with your pre-existing skills, talents, and experiences, and then using AI to hone your work and make some of your processes faster, Cuban said.
—Megan Sauer, CNBC, 28 Mar. 2025
Wiggins and Kerr spent much of Tuesday trading compliments, which provided a refreshing shift from an otherwise tense — and sometimes awkward — space for Butler and the Heat to further hone their closure.
—James Jackson, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
Step 5: Feedback and iteration Both MVP and MVC frameworks rely on feedback to refine and hone their results.
—Matt Abrahams, TIME, 25 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
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Divisions of labor sharpened, with women's work increasingly taking place within the home.—
Amanda Ruggeri,
Time,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Pearl rubbed Broome’s back as the cart took off down the concourse.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2025
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Adding to its innovation, the 'Monaco' integrates honeycomb thermoplastic heel technology, providing convenience by allowing natural motion without stiffness or rigidity, rubbing away material in other shoemakers usually.—
Cassell Ferere,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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As part of its comeback efforts, Farfetch has been polishing the machinery of the business as well, slashing clearance and markdown activity, and extending its free returns policy to 30 days.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
3 Apr. 2025
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Buff and Shine Next, a buffing wheel polishes the pieces to remove any rough edges or scratches.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
30 Mar. 2025
Verb
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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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Shares in Donald Trump's social media company sank in morning trading on Wednesday, a day after the company filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission that could allow the president's trust to sell more than $2 billion of shares.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2025
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Bove argued that the case had national security implications by restricting Adams’s ability to cooperate with the feds on immigration matters, interfered with the mayor’s ability to govern, and was improperly filed within nine months of the mayoral primary.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hone. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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