Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense stones, present participle stoning, past tense, past participle stonedlanguage note: The plural is usually stone in meaning [sense 10].
1. variable noun
Stone is a hard solid substance found in the ground and often used for building houses.
He could not tell whether the floor was wood or stone.
People often don't appreciate that marble is a natural stone.
...stone walls.
Synonyms: masonry, rock More Synonyms of stone
2. countable noun
A stone is a small piece of rock that is found on the ground.
He removed a stone from his shoe.
The crowd began throwing stones.
Synonyms: rock, pebble More Synonyms of stone
3. countable noun
A stone is a large piece of stone put somewhere in memory of a person or event, or as a religious symbol.
The monument consists of a circle of gigantic stones.
4.
See tablets of stone
5. countable noun
You can refer to a jewel as a stone.
...a diamond ring with three stones.
Synonyms: gem, jewel, precious stone, gemstone More Synonyms of stone
6. countable noun [usually noun NOUN]
A stone is a small hard ball of minerals and other substances which sometimes forms in a person's kidneys or gall bladder.
He had kidney stones.
7. countable noun
The stone in a plum, cherry, or other fruit is the large hard seed in the middle of it.
[mainly British]regional note: in AM, usually use pit
8. verb
If you stone a fruit, you remove its stone.
[mainly British]
Then stone the fruit and process the plums to a puree. [VERB noun]
regional note: in AM, usually use pit
9. verb
If people stone someone or something, they throw stones at them.
Youths burned cars and stoned police. [VERB noun]
A post office was set on fire and vehicles were stoned by looters. [beVERB-ed]
10. countable noun
A stone is a measurement of weight, especially the weight of a person, equal to 14 pounds or 6.35 kilograms.
[British]
I weighed around 16 stone.
weight
11. See also stoned, foundation stone, paving stone, precious stone, stepping stone
12.
See a stone's throw
13.
See leave no stone unturned
14. to kill two birds with one stone
More Synonyms of stone
stone in British English
(stəʊn)
noun
1.
the hard compact nonmetallic material of which rocks are made
▶ Related adjective: lithic
2.
a small lump of rock; pebble
3. jewellery short for gemstone
4.
a.
a piece of rock designed or shaped for some particular purpose
b.
(in combination)
gravestone
millstone
5.
a.
something that resembles a stone
b.
(in combination)
hailstone
6.
the woody central part of such fruits as the peach and plum, that contains the seed; endocarp
7.
any similar hard part of a fruit, such as the stony seed of a date
8. Word forms: pluralstone British
a unit of weight, used esp to express human body weight, equal to 14 pounds or 6.350 kilograms
9. Also called: granite
the rounded heavy mass of granite or iron used in the game of curling
10. pathology a nontechnical name for calculus
11. printing
a table with a very flat iron or stone surface upon which hot-metal pages are composed into formes; imposition table
12. rare
(in certain games) a piece or man
13.
a.
any of various dull grey colours
b.
(as adjective)
stone paint
14. (modifier)
relating to or made of stone
a stone house
15. (modifier)
made of stoneware
a stone jar
16. cast a stone at
17. heart of stone
18. leave no stone unturned
adverb
19. (in combination)
completely
stone-cold
stone-dead
verb(transitive)
20.
to throw stones at, esp to kill
21.
to remove the stones from
22.
to furnish or provide with stones
23. stone the crows
Derived forms
stonable (ˈstonable) or stoneable (ˈstoneable)
adjective
stoneless (ˈstoneless)
adjective
stonelessness (ˈstonelessness)
noun
stonelike (ˈstoneˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English stān; related to Old Saxon stēn, German Stein, Old Norse steinn, Gothic stains, Greek stion pebble
stone- in British English
prefix
very; completely
stone-blind
stone-cold
Word origin
from stone in the sense of "like a stone"
Stone in British English
(stəʊn)
noun
1.
Oliver. born 1946, US film director and screenwriter: his films include Platoon (1986), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), JFK (1991), Nixon (1995), Alexander (2004), and World Trade Center (2006)
2.
Sharon. born 1958, US film actress: her films include Basic Instinct (1991), Casino (1995), and Cold Creek Manor (2003)
Stone in American English
(stoʊn)
1.
Edward Duˈrell (dəˈrɛl) 1902-78; U.S. architect
2.
Harlan Fiske1872-1946; U.S. jurist: chief justice of the U.S. (1941-46)
3.
Lucy(Mrs. Henry Brown Blackwell) 1818-93; U.S. reformer & suffragist
stone in American English
(stoʊn)
noun
1.
the hard, solid, nonmetallic mineral matter of which rock is composed
2.
a piece of rock of relatively small size
3.
a piece of rock shaped or finished for some purpose
; specif.,
a.
a large, solid piece used in building; also, such pieces collectively
b.
a paving block
c.
a gravestone or memorial
d.
a boundary mark or milestone
e.
a grindstone or whetstone
4.
something that resembles a small stone
; specif.,
a.
a hailstone
b.
the stonelike seed of certain fruits, as of a date
c.
the hard endocarp and the enclosed seed of a drupe, as of a peach
d. Archaic
a testicle
5.
precious stone
6. Word forms: pluralstone British
a unit of weight, equal to 14 pounds (6.3503 kilograms): abbrev. st
7. Medicine
an abnormal stony mass formed in the body, esp. in a kidney or gallbladder
8.
a. Printing
a table with a smooth top, originally of stone, on which page forms are composed
b.
a surface incised or engraved with a design or text to be lithographed
verb transitiveWord forms: stoned or ˈstoning
9.
to throw stones at; esp., to kill by pelting with stones
10.
to furnish, pave, line, etc. with stones
11.
to polish, sharpen, etc. with a stone
12.
to remove the stone from (a peach, cherry, etc.)
adjective
13.
of stone or stoneware
14. Slang
complete, utter, thoroughgoing, etc.
a stone genius
adverb
15.
completely, thoroughly, etc.
stone sober
Idioms:
leave no stone unturned
Derived forms
stoner (ˈstoner)
noun
Word origin
ME < OE stan, akin to Du steen, Ger stein < IE base *stāi-, to become thick, compress, stiffen > L stiria, a drop (< stilla), Gr stear, tallow; (sense 14) cf. stone-
stone- in American English
(stoʊn)
very, completely
used in hyphenated compounds
stone-blind, stone-broke
Word origin
< stone, with the sense of “like, or as is, a stone”
More idioms containing
stone
like getting blood out of a stone
kill two birds with one stone
leave no stone unturned
a rolling stone gathers no moss
something is not set in stone
Examples of 'stone' in a sentence
stone
Two weeks after being hypnotised she had already lost a stone and the weight loss continued.
The Sun (2014)
We defended when we needed to and we killed the game stone dead at the end.
The Sun (2010)
The kitchen is done out simply with an old dresser and stone floor.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
She was told to lose two stone.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Metal weapons were obviously superior to stone and wood.
Stearns, Peter N. World History: Patterns of Change and Continuity (1995)
Nearby are the remains of a stone circle.
Brennan, J. H. A Guide to Megalithic Ireland (1992)
We will leave no stone unturned in the search for our daughter.
The Sun (2007)
He built the garage and stone walls around the house.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Early in their marriage he suffered with a bladder stone that was removed during risky surgery.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The beauty of stone fruit lies in it being perfectly ripe.
Smith, Drew Food Watch (1994)
The stone building has two rooms and a kitchen.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The rest of the defence looks cast in stone now.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Apparently he needs one to help him lose four stone.
The Sun (2009)
There's a natural stone pool for lazy afternoons.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In the kitchen, large stone or ceramic tiles are more practical.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He leaves no stone unturned.
The Sun (2013)
I get completely stoned on it.
The Sun (2008)
To this end he also gave up drinking 15 months ago, losing two stone in the process.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Word lists with
stone
black
In other languages
stone
British English: stone /stəʊn/ NOUN
materialStone is a hard solid material that is found in the ground. It is often used for building.
The floor was solid stone.
American English: stone
Arabic: حَجَر
Brazilian Portuguese: pedra
Chinese: 石头
Croatian: kamen
Czech: kámen
Danish: sten
Dutch: steen
European Spanish: piedra
Finnish: kivi
French: pierre
German: Stein
Greek: πέτρα
Italian: pietra
Japanese: 石
Korean: 돌
Norwegian: stein
Polish: kamień
European Portuguese: pedra
Romanian: piatră
Russian: камень
Latin American Spanish: piedra
Swedish: sten
Thai: หิน
Turkish: taş
Ukrainian: камінь
Vietnamese: đá hòn
British English: stone /stəʊn/ NOUN
piece of rock A stone is a small piece of rock that is found on the ground.
He took a stone out of his shoe.
American English: stone
Arabic: حَجَر
Brazilian Portuguese: pedra
Chinese: 石头
Croatian: kamenčić
Czech: kámen
Danish: sten
Dutch: steen
European Spanish: piedra
Finnish: kivi
French: pierre
German: Stein
Greek: πέτρα
Italian: pietra
Japanese: 石
Korean: 돌
Norwegian: stein
Polish: kamyk
European Portuguese: pedra
Romanian: piatră
Russian: камешек
Latin American Spanish: piedra
Swedish: sten
Thai: หิน
Turkish: taş
Ukrainian: камінь
Vietnamese: đá
British English: stone VERB
If people stone someone or something, they throw stones at them.
Youths burned cars and stoned police.
American English: stone
Brazilian Portuguese: apedrejar
Chinese: 向…扔石头
European Spanish: apedrear
French: lancer des pierres sur
German: mit Steinen bewerfen
Italian: lanciare sassi a
Japanese: 石を投げる
Korean: 돌을 던지다
European Portuguese: apedrejar
Latin American Spanish: apedrear
All related terms of 'stone'
litho
short for lithography , lithograph , lithographic , or lithographically
yonnie
a stone
dry-stone
(of a wall) made without mortar
ear-stone
a calcium carbonate crystal in the ear of vertebrates
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a very early period of human history , when people used tools and weapons made of stone, not metal.
stone ax
a primitive axe made of chipped stone
stone axe
a primitive axe made of chipped stone
stone pit
an open surface excavation for the extraction of building stone , slate , marble , etc, by drilling , blasting , or cutting
stone saw
an untoothed iron saw used to cut stone
altar stone
a large stone used as an altar
Bath stone
a kind of limestone used as a building material, esp at Bath in England
bile stone
a small hard concretion of cholesterol , bile pigments, and lime salts, formed in the gall bladder or its ducts
cast stone
a building component , such as a block or lintel , made from cast concrete with a facing that resembles natural stone
china stone
a type of kaolinized granitic rock containing unaltered plagioclase
mocha stone
a variety of chalcedony with dark greenish mossy markings , used as a gemstone
peach stone
the stone in the centre of the fruit the peach
pumy stone
a piece of pumice stone
stone bass
a large sea perch , Polyprion americanus, of the Atlantic and Mediterranean
stone-blind
completely blind
stone-broke
having no money at all; penniless
stone cast
a short distance
stone china
a kind of stoneware containing a variety of feldspar found in England
stone-cold
If something that should be warm is stone-cold , it is very cold.
stone crab
a large, common, edible , dark-bluish crab ( Menippe mercenaria ) found in the coastal mud flats of the SE U.S. and in the Caribbean
stone-dead
completely lifeless
stone deaf
Someone who is stone deaf cannot hear at all.
stone fruit
any fruit, as a plum , having a stone ; drupe
stone-lily
the fossil of any of several species of sea lily or crinoid
stone mint
a North American labiate plant, Cunila origanoides, with clusters of purplish flowers
stone pine
a Mediterranean pine tree, Pinus pinea, having a short bole and radiating branches forming an umbrella shape
Stone sheep
a wild sheep found in Yukon and the northern Rocky Mountains
stone shoot
a long steeply sloping line of loose boulder-strewn scree
Amazon stone
a green variety of microcline used as a gemstone . Formula: KAlSi 3 O 8
Blarney Stone
a stone in Blarney Castle , in the SW Republic of Ireland, said to endow whoever kisses it with the gift of the gab and skill in flattery
coping stone
a stone used to form a coping
curling stone
a large, heavy, ellipsoidal stone or a similar object made of iron , usually having one rough side and one smooth side with a hole in the center of each for screwing in a handle by which the stone is released , for use in the game of curling
kidney stone
a hard mass formed in the kidney , usually composed of oxalates , phosphates , and carbonates
Oamaru stone
a kind of limestone , of building quality, found at Oamaru on South Island , New Zealand
paving stone
Paving stones are flat pieces of stone or concrete, usually square in shape, that are put on the ground, for example to make a path .
perpend stone
a large stone that passes through a wall from one side to the other
pudding stone
a conglomerate rock in which there is a difference in colour or composition between the pebbles and the matrix
pumice stone
A pumice stone is a piece of pumice that you rub over your skin in order to clean the skin or make it smoother.
rocking stone
a boulder so delicately poised that it can be rocked
rolling stone
a restless or wandering person
Rosetta stone
a basalt slab discovered in 1799 at Rosetta , dating to the reign of Ptolemy V (196 bc ) and carved with parallel inscriptions in Egyptian hieroglyphics , demotic characters, and Greek, which provided the key to the decipherment of ancient Egyptian texts
stone boiling
a primitive method of boiling liquid with heated stones
stone bramble
a herbaceous Eurasian rosaceous plant, Rubus saxatilis, of stony places, having white flowers and berry-like scarlet fruits ( drupelets )
stone circle
a circle of standing stones erected in prehistoric times
stone curlew
any of several brownish shore birds of the family Burhinidae, esp Burhinus oedicnemus, having a large head and eyes : order Charadriiformes
stone-ground
Stone-ground flour or bread is made from grain that has been crushed between two large, heavy pieces of stone .