1
: a concretion of earthy or mineral matter:
a(1)
: such a concretion of indeterminate size or shape
(2)
: rock
b
: a piece of rock for a specified function: such as
(1)
: a building block
(2)
: a paving block
(3)
: a precious stone : gem
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
: a surface upon which a drawing, text, or design to be lithographed is drawn or transferred
2
: something resembling a small stone: such as
b
: the hard central portion of a drupaceous fruit (such as a peach)
c
: a hard stony seed (as of a date)
3
plural usually stone
: any of various units of weight
especially
: an official British unit equal to 14 pounds (6.3 kilograms)
4
a
b
: a round playing piece used in various games (such as backgammon or go)
5
: a stand or table with a smooth flat top on which to impose or set type
stoned; stoning; stones
1
: to hurl stones at
especially
: to kill by pelting with stones
2
archaic
: to make hard or insensitive to feeling
3
: to face, pave, or fortify with stones
4
: to remove the stones or seeds of (a fruit)
5
a
: to rub, scour, or polish with a stone
b
: to sharpen with a whetstone
Synonyms
Noun
Verb
Adjective
- absolute
- all-out
- arrant
- blank
- blooming [chiefly British]
- bodacious [Southern & Midland]
- categorical
- categoric
- clean
- complete
- consummate
- crashing
- damn
- damned
- dead
- deadly
- definite
- downright
- dreadful
- fair
- flat
- flat-out
- out-and-out
- outright
- perfect
- plumb
- profound
- pure
- rank
- regular
- sheer
- simple
- stark
- straight-out
- thorough
- thoroughgoing
- total
- unadulterated
- unalloyed
- unconditional
- unmitigated
- unqualified
- utter
- very
Examples of stone in a Sentence
Noun
The pedestal is made of stone.
His birthdate and date of death were carved on the stone.
Verb
He was stoned to death for his crimes.
Stone the peaches before serving.
Adverb
The soup was stone cold.
Adjective
the stone stupidity of the senator's statements embarrassed even her staffers
Recent Examples on the Web
Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Officers were told memorial stones were missing from their enclosures, according to a news release.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2024
Another important point to make is that retirement benefits aren’t set in stone.
—Tim Fries, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
Chic touches include sparkling plunge pools, outdoor showers, and materials such as wood, clay, and stone.
—Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2024
Their sense of whimsy and their ability to realize it in metal and stone has been hard-earned through consistent effort, decade after decade—which isn’t an entirely inaccurate definition of the horological arts.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2024
The precise timing and location of the storms aren’t set in stone, but trends seem to show that the storms may likely occur after totality ends.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024
Locals were invited to claim cobble stones as souvenirs from the famous street on Saturday, after police tore down the booths.
—Reuters, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
Archaeologists found piles of lime, stones, ceramics, tiles, bricks and tools, frozen in time under layers of volcanic ash.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 25 May 2023
The Aris sub-collection represents a group of multi-stone pieces with mixed-shape diamonds, while Monaco includes quintessential princess cut diamonds, and Reign embodies sophistication with glamorous diamonds and gemstone pieces.
—Lauren Tappan, Town & Country, 12 Oct. 2022
Instead, a curved, gently sloped, stone path landscaped with shrubs, leads from the driveway to the front door.
—Sally A. Downey, Philly.com, 5 Feb. 2018
Stone tools, animal bones and evidence of fire were also found within the same layer at the site.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 7 June 2017
Noun
There is evidence that the room was part of a building that was being restored when Mount Vesuvius abruptly erupted, burying the city in pumice stones and ash in A.D. 79, Mr. Zuchtriegel said in a telephone interview.
—Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Officers were told memorial stones were missing from their enclosures, according to a news release.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2024
Another important point to make is that retirement benefits aren’t set in stone.
—Tim Fries, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
Chic touches include sparkling plunge pools, outdoor showers, and materials such as wood, clay, and stone.
—Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2024
Their sense of whimsy and their ability to realize it in metal and stone has been hard-earned through consistent effort, decade after decade—which isn’t an entirely inaccurate definition of the horological arts.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2024
The precise timing and location of the storms aren’t set in stone, but trends seem to show that the storms may likely occur after totality ends.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024
Locals were invited to claim cobble stones as souvenirs from the famous street on Saturday, after police tore down the booths.
—Reuters, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
Archaeologists found piles of lime, stones, ceramics, tiles, bricks and tools, frozen in time under layers of volcanic ash.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Adjective
The soils are predominantly stone with abundant limestone.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 25 May 2023
The Aris sub-collection represents a group of multi-stone pieces with mixed-shape diamonds, while Monaco includes quintessential princess cut diamonds, and Reign embodies sophistication with glamorous diamonds and gemstone pieces.
—Lauren Tappan, Town & Country, 12 Oct. 2022
Instead, a curved, gently sloped, stone path landscaped with shrubs, leads from the driveway to the front door.
—Sally A. Downey, Philly.com, 5 Feb. 2018
Stone tools, animal bones and evidence of fire were also found within the same layer at the site.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 7 June 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stone
Cite this Entry
“Stone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stone. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stone
1 of 4 noun1
a
: earth or mineral matter hardened in a mass
b
: a piece of rock not as fine as gravel
throw stones
c
: a piece of rock used for some special purpose (as for a monument or in construction)
d
2
b
: a stony seed or one (as of a plum) enclosed in a stony cover
3
plural usually stone
: any of various units of weight
especially
: a British unit equal to 14 pounds (6.3 kilograms)
stone
2 of 4 adjective
: of, relating to, or made of stone
stone
3 of 4 verb
stoned; stoning
1
: to throw stones at
especially
: to kill by hitting with stones
2
: to remove the stones or seeds of (a fruit)
stoner
noun
stone
4 of 4 adverb
: in a complete manner : entirely
the soup is stone cold
—often used in combination
they are stone-broke
Medical Definition
stone
noun1
2
plural usually stone
: any of various units of weight
especially
: an official British unit equal to 14 pounds (6.3 kilograms)
Biographical Definition
Stone 1 of 3
biographical name (1)
Harlan Fiske 1872–1946 American jurist; chief justice U.S. Supreme Court (1941–46)
Stone
2 of 3biographical name (2)
Irving 1903–1989 originally surname Tennenbaum American writer
Stone
3 of 3biographical name (3)
Lucy 1818–1893 American suffragist
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share