stone

SaySTOHN/stoʊn/UK/stəʊn/

Pluralstones

Verbstones, stoning, stoned

27 meanings of stone

Practice

1
piece of rocknouncountable
A small piece of rock that you can pick up, hold, or throw.
Like a pebble you find lying on a beach or path.
He skipped a flat stone across the calm lake.
The path was covered with loose stones that hurt her feet.
Similarrock, pebble
2
rock (substance)noununcountable
The hard, solid material that rocks are made of, often used for building.
The old bridge was built entirely from stone.
Workers cut the stone into blocks for the new wall.
UsageFor the material, say built of stone, with no a.
Similarrock
3
adjective
Built out of stone, not wood or brick.
They live in a small stone cottage by the river.
The garden has an old stone wall around it.
UsagePut it before a noun: a stone wall. Stony means full of stones.
Note
4
nouncountable
A piece of rock cut, shaped or put in place for a use, like a marker, tool or building block.
The workers set each stone carefully on top of the last one.
A small stone by the path shows where the old town ended.
UsageEach cut block is a stone, while the material is just stone.
Note
5
jewelnouncountable or uncountable
A precious jewel, such as a diamond.
The ring held a single bright stone in the center.
She had every stone in the necklace checked by a jeweler.
UsageA ring can be set with stones.
Similargem, jewel
6
lump in bodynouncountable or uncountable
A hard lump that can form inside the body, such as in the kidney.
Like a tiny pebble that slowly builds up inside the body.
The doctor said a stone was blocking his kidney.
She passed a small stone and the pain finally eased.
UsagePeople say kidney stone. You pass a stone.
Similarcalculus
7
verbtransitive
To throw stones at someone or something, often to hurt or kill.
An angry mob threatened to stone the prisoner.
In the old account, the crowd stoned the false prophet outside the gates.
UsageOften in stoned to death.
Similarpelt
Note
8
make highverbslangtransitive
To make someone very high using cannabis or other drugs.
A couple of strong joints will stone you completely.
That much hash would stone anyone within minutes.
UsagePeople usually say get stoned.
Similarintoxicate, dope, drug
9
weight unitnounBritishcountable or uncountable
A unit of weight equal to 14 pounds, used in Britain for body weight.
He weighs about twelve stone after the holidays.
She lost nearly two stone before the wedding.
UsageSay she weighs ten stone, with no s.
Note
10
rock-likeadjective
Looking like real stone in color or texture.
Like a fake brick wall that looks real but isn't.
The plastic bench has a stone texture, so it looks like real granite.
They gave the fireplace a stone finish, though it is cast resin.

Less common meanings

11
grave markernouncountable or uncountable
A marker placed over a grave to remember someone who has died.
They laid flowers at the foot of the stone.
Her name and dates were carved into the cold gray stone.
Similarheadstone, gravestone, tombstone, marker
12
fruit pitnouncountable or uncountable
The hard center inside fruits like peaches and cherries, holding the seed.
She nearly cracked a tooth on the peach stone.
Every plum has a single stone in the middle.
UsagePit means the same thing.
Similarpit
Note
13
remove pitverbtransitive
To take the hard middle part, with the seed inside, out of a fruit such as a cherry or peach.
Stone the cherries before adding them to the pie.
She stoned a bowl of olives for the salad.
UsageRecipes say stone the cherries.
Similarpit, destone
14
a gray-beige shadenouncountable or uncountable
A dull, light gray or soft beige color, like some stones.
Like the gentle gray of a smooth river pebble.
She painted the bedroom a soft stone to keep it calm.
The designer chose stone for the curtains and a warm cream for the walls.
15
gray-beige coloredadjective
Dull, light gray or beige in color, like some stones.
Like the soft gray-beige of a dry pebble in the sun.
She bought a stone sweater for the fall.
The new curtains are stone, matching the carpet.
16
curlingnouncountable or uncountable
A heavy, round granite piece slid across the ice in the sport of curling.
Like a heavy puck slid carefully across the ice.
She slid the stone gently toward the target.
The skip studied the stones already resting in the house.
UsagePlayers throw a stone down the ice.
Similarrock
Note
17
adverb
Completely, used before some words to make them stronger, as in 'stone cold'.
The coffee was stone cold by the time she sat down.
He has been stone deaf in one ear since childhood.
Similarcompletely, utterly, totally
Note
18
completelyadjectiveslangUS
Complete or total, used before another word to make it stronger.
That song is a stone classic.
He's a stone genius with old engines.
Similarabsolute, complete, total, utter, true
Note
19
game piecenouncountable or uncountable
A small piece used to play board games like go or backgammon.
Like one of the checker pieces you move around a board.
She placed a black stone on the board.
He captured three stones in a single move.
UsagePlayers place and capture stones.
Similarpiece, counter
Note
20
form pitverbintransitive
Of a fruit, to grow a hard part in the middle as it ripens.
21
wall upverbtransitive
To line or face something with stones, or to close up a doorway or gap by filling it with stones.
Similarblock, seal, wall
Oppositeopen, unblock
Note
22
polish smoothverbtransitive
To make a metal surface smooth by rubbing it with a hard, gritty block.
Like sanding rough wood until it feels smooth to the touch.
The mechanic stones the metal surface until it feels smooth.
Workers stone each part by hand before fitting the parts together.
Similarhone, lap, polish, smooth, grind
23
giver in sexadjectiveslang
Of a person, wanting to give sexual pleasure but not to receive it.
She identified as stone for most of her twenties.
He told his partner he was stone, and they worked out what that meant for them.
UsageOften in stone butch.
Note
24
zone outverbslangSingaporeintransitive
To sit and do nothing, staring into space when bored or relaxed.
Like daydreaming with your eyes open, not thinking about anything.
On lazy Sundays they stone in front of the TV for hours.
After school he just stoned on the sofa, doing nothing at all.
UsageOften stoning: I was stoning all day.
Similarvegetate, veg, daydream, idle, laze
Note
25
printing tablenounhistoricalcountable or uncountable
A flat table with a smooth stone top, used to lay out pages before printing.
Like a big flat workbench where pages were laid out before printing.
The printer arranged the pages on the stone before the press began.
The Chief called the makeup editor to the stone, pointed to the story which had caught his eye, and suggested a fairly simple remake.
1965, George Murray, The Madhouse on Madison StreetHere, the stone means the flat stone table where pages were laid out.
Note
26
nounobsoletecountable or uncountable
A mirror, or the glass part of a mirror.
She's dead as earth: Lend me a Looking-glaſſe; / If that her breath will miſt or ſtaine the ſtone, / Why then ſhe liues.
c. 1603, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”Here, stone means the mirror, the glass of the looking glass.
Note
27
nounobsoletecountable or uncountable
A testicle, in older usage.
Hee that is wounded in the ſtones, or hath his priuie member cut off, ſhall not enter into the Congregation of the Lord.
1611, The Holy Bible, King James VersionHere, stones means testicles.
Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of stone apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–6, 9–12, 14–19, 23, 25–27

From Old English stān, meaning stone. It goes back to an ancient root meaning "to stiffen" or harden.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

The noun stone comes from Old English stān. en.wiktionary.org
Old English stān means stone. en.wiktionary.org
Stone ultimately derives from an ancient root meaning to stiffen or harden. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 7–8, 13, 20–22, 24

From Old English *stānian, meaning to stone, which comes from the same Germanic root as the word for stone.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

The verb stone descends from Old English *stānian, meaning to stone. en.wiktionary.org
The verb shares its Germanic root with the noun stone. en.wiktionary.org