stone
noun /stəʊn/
/stəʊn/
Idioms - [uncountable] (often used before nouns or in compounds) a hard solid mineral substance that is found in the ground, often used for building
- Most of the houses are built of stone.
- stone walls
- a stone floor/bridge/carving/pillar/slab
- a brick and stone building
- a flight of stone steps
- a huge block of stone
Extra ExamplesTopics Physics and chemistrya2, Buildingsa2- He is a sculptor who works mainly in stone.
- The path's stone flags were worn and broken.
- The stone is cut into blocks ready for building.
- The walls were hewn from local stone.
- a carved stone fireplace
- names carved in stone
- The walls were made of stone.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- heavy
- hard
- rough
- …
- block
- slab
- break
- cut
- hew (something from/out of)
- …
- block
- flag
- slab
- …
- in stone
- be set in
- be written in
- [countable] (especially British English) a small piece of rock of any shape
- a pile of stones
- Some children were throwing stones into the lake.
Extra Examples- Some loose stones tumbled down the slope behind her.
- The boys were caught throwing stones at passing trains.
- The boat broke in two and sank like a stone.
- (figurative) The temperature dropped like a stone.
- A group of children pelted firefighters with stones.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- sharp
- smooth
- round
- …
- heap
- pile
- cast
- hurl
- throw
- …
- [countable] (usually in compounds) a piece of stone shaped for a particular purpose
- These words are carved on the stone beside his grave.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- foundation
- memorial
- paving
- …
- circle
- (also precious stone)[countable] a rare valuable stone, such as a diamond, that is used in jewellery
- She had the stone set in a ring.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- gem
- precious
- semi-precious
- …
- mine
- cut
- set
- …
- glitter
- shine
- [countable] (especially British English)
enlarge image(North American English usually pit)a hard shell containing the nut or seed in the middle of some types of fruit- cherry/peach stones
- [countable] (often in compounds) a small piece of hard material that can form in the bladder or kidney and cause pain
- kidney stones
- [countable] (plural stone)(abbreviation st)(in the UK) a unit for measuring weight, equal to 6.35 kilograms or 14 pounds
- He weighs over 15 stone.
- She's trying to lose a stone.
hard substance
jewel
in fruit
in body
measurement of weight
Word OriginOld English stān (noun), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch steen and German Stein. The verb dates from Middle English (first recorded in sense (1)).
Idioms
carved/set in stone
- (of a decision, plan, etc.) unable to be changed
- People should remember that our proposals aren't set in stone.
- These rules are not set in stone.
have a heart of stone
- to be a person who does not show other people sympathy
kill two birds with one stone
- to achieve two things at the same time with one actionTopics Successc2
leave no stone unturned
- to try every possible course of action in order to find or achieve something
like getting blood out of/from a stone
- almost impossible to obtain
- Getting an apology from him was like getting blood from a stone.
people (who live) in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones
- (saying) you should not criticize other people, because they will easily find ways of criticizing you
a rolling stone gathers no moss
- (saying) a person who moves from place to place, job to job, etc. does not have a lot of money, possessions or friends but is free from responsibilities
a stone’s throw
- a very short distance away
- We live just a stone's throw from here.
- The hotel is within a stone's throw of the beach.