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bone

bone

∞ 1.0
A hard part inside the body that forms the skeleton
  • noun
  • /boʊn/
: hueso
  • The archaeologists discovered ancient animal bones buried deep in the ground.
  • broken bones
  • bone marrow
  • bone density

So it's it's no good for your bones to drink skim milk.

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Examples

  • So I had all this extra bone around my knee joint.

  • The doctor explained that the bone in her arm was fractured and needed to be set.

  • So it just comes right off the bone like that.

  • And it was a bone like this one.

  • A hungry dog who already had a bone in his mouth.

  • Is this bone not ours as well?

  • I could feel the thin bones in his arms, the push of his ribs.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Alongside the gravestones, excavators uncovered hundreds of bones, some with evidence of unusual injuries.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Didn't break any bones.

  • She stepped carefully over the bone that the dog had buried in the yard.

Synonyms

os
vsbone
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A hard part inside the body that forms the skeleton

is the common everyday term rather than a technical anatomical name
osseous tissue
vsbone
  • Specialized
7.5

Hard tissue in bones that gives them strength

refers to the whole rigid skeletal element rather than only the tissue component

Idioms

11 6.0

To do very hard, long tasks until you are very tired

5 6.3

To make someone feel very cold or deeply frightened

4 5.2

A subject that causes disagreement between people

To make someone laugh or feel amused

bred in the bone
  • Informal
1 8.8

A quality someone has from birth that is hard to change

1 9.9

Acting with strong determination and refusing to give up

1 8.3

To make someone laugh a lot

A constant problem that annoys people and is hard to solve

8.5

Making someone feel very afraid

Do very hard, long jobs until you are very tired

Compounds

bone marrow
  • Specialized
94 3.0

Soft, fatty part inside bones that makes blood cells for the body

10 3.2

Completely dry with no water left

7 2.7

A steak from the middle of the cow's back with a T-shaped bone and a piece of tenderloin

Very cold or scary

bone cell
  • Specialized
5 3.7

A living part inside a bone that helps make new bone and remove old bone

5 2.7

A bone in the leg like the femur or tibia

neck bone
  • Specialized
5 3.7

A small bone in the neck that helps protect the spine

hyoid bone
  • Specialized
5 8.1

A U-shaped bone in the neck under the tongue that supports its muscles

long bone
  • Specialized
5 3.6

A long hard part inside the arm or leg like the femur that has a soft center

4 3.4

Completely dry with no moisture

4 3.7

The spot on the elbow that makes a sharp, tingling pain when hit

parietal bone
  • Specialized
3 7.4

One of two bones on the top and side of the skull between the front and back bones

frontal bone
  • Specialized
3 6.3

A large bone at the front of the skull that makes the forehead and upper eye sockets

occipital bone
  • Specialized
3 7.4

A curved bone at the lower back of the skull that protects the back of the brain

3 2.7

A bone that forms part of the arm, for example the humerus, radius or ulna

3 5.0

Front part of the hip bone that helps form the pelvis

temporal bone
  • Specialized
2 5.3

Part of the skull on each side that holds the inner ear

2 7.0

A very strong feeling that reaches deep into your body or heart

nasal bone
  • Specialized
2 3.7

One of the two thin bones that form the bridge of the nose

2 4.4

Fine white porcelain made with powdered bone that is strong and slightly see-through

shoulder bone
  • Specialized
1 2.5

A flat triangular bone on the upper back that connects the arm to the body

zygomatic bone
  • Specialized
1 8.0

A bone that forms the cheek and part of the eye socket

Extremely hard and painful, often making a loud, crushing sound

1 2.5

The large inner bone in the lower leg from knee to ankle

metacarpal bone
  • Specialized
1 5.6

One of five long bones in the hand between the wrist and a finger

tail bone
  • Specialized
1 3.6

The small bone at the very end of the spine

1 3.4

Soft, fatty part inside some bones that people eat as a rich food

wrist bone
  • Specialized
1 3.0

Small bones in the wrist that help the hand move

1 6.3

A bone with no meat on it

cannon bone
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A strong lower leg bone in animals with hooves, especially horses

bone-idle
  • Offensive
1 9.1

Very lazy and not willing to do any work or help

bone fat
  • Specialized
1 8.4

Fat taken from animal bones used to make cheap candles, soap, and grease

carpal bone
  • Specialized
1 4.8

One of the eight small bones in the wrist between the forearm and the hand

sesamoid bone
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A small round bone that forms inside a tendon near a joint, like the kneecap

bone ash
  • Specialized
1 7.4

A white ash left when bones are burned used in fertiliser and bone china

bone hard
  • Informal
1 7.7

Very strong and not easily broken or changed

wishing bone
  • Literature
1 8.9

A forked bone from a chicken or turkey pulled for luck

1 3.0

The inner longer bone of the forearm between the elbow and the wrist

1 6.8

A bone that is roughly round in shape, often from animals

1 7.3

A very strong movement you feel in your body from loud sound or a fast ride

bone age
  • Specialized
1 6.7

The stage of bone growth shown on X-rays compared with normal age

bone-lazy
  • Offensive
1 7.9

Not willing to do any work most of the time

scaphoid bone
  • Specialized
1 7.8

A small wrist bone on the thumb side that often breaks in falls

tarsal bone
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A small bone in the ankle that helps the foot move

ethmoid bone
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A light spongy bone at the skull base that helps form the eye sockets and the inside of the nose

malar bone
  • Specialized
1 7.6

A bone that forms the cheek below the eye

mandibular bone
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A bone in animals that forms the lower jaw and lets the mouth open and close

hamate bone
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A small bone on the outer side of the wrist next to the little finger with a hook-like part

short bone
  • Specialized
1 6.0

A bone about as long as it is wide and thick, found in the wrist and ankle

pin bone
  • Specialized
1 9.4

A small hard part inside a sirloin steak between the flat bone and the porterhouse

red bone marrow
  • Specialized
1 4.9

Soft, spongy part inside some bones that makes red blood cells

bone oil
  • Archaic
1 9.1

An oily liquid from heated animal bones used as a lubricant or to treat leather

bone black
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A black pigment made by burning animal bones for paint and ink

crazy bone
  • Informal
1 7.7

The spot at the elbow that makes your arm tingle when hit

1 8.4

An animal with a hard outer layer of bone that protects its body

ischial bone
  • Specialized
1 8.5

The lower back part of the hip bone that forms the pelvis

mastoid bone
  • Specialized
1 6.5

A bony bump behind the ear at the base of the skull

sphenoid bone
  • Specialized
1 8.8

A butterfly-shaped bone at the base of the skull that helps form the eye socket and supports the brain

splint bone
  • Specialized
1 9.3

A small thin bone next to the main lower leg bone in a horse

pisiform bone
  • Specialized
1 9.7

A small pea-shaped bone near the little finger that touches one other wrist bone

Very tired all through your body so you can barely move

bone-forming cell
  • Specialized
1 4.4

A part of the body that makes new bone during growth or healing

bone spavin
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A disease in horses that causes a hard bone growth on the lower hind leg and makes them lame

calf bone
  • Specialized
1 4.6

The outer, thinner bone in the lower leg between the knee and ankle, also called the fibula

yellow bone marrow
  • Specialized
1 6.1

Tissue inside the hollow part of long bones in adults that stores fat

bone-ash cup
  • Archaic
9.9

A small bowl made from bone ash used to separate precious metals during testing

bone-headed dinosaur
  • Specialized
9.2

A two-legged plant-eating dinosaur with a thick rounded skull

bone char
  • Specialized
9.2

A black material made by burning animal bones used to colour or filter liquids

A very strong fear that feels like it shakes your body

capitate bone
  • Specialized
6.6

A large bone in the middle of the wrist that connects to the base of the middle finger

cartilage bone
  • Specialized
9.0

A bone that forms inside cartilage before a baby is born, like long arm or leg bones

cuboid bone
  • Specialized
7.4

A bone on the outer side of the foot about the shape of a small cube

cuneiform bone
  • Specialized
9.1

A small bone in the wrist near the little finger

How Hard

antler
38 3.7
bone
∞ 1.0
dog biscuit
6 1.0
treat
420 1.0
soft diet
1 2.9

Surface Forms

bone singular
bones plural

Etymology

The word bone comes from a very old German word that also gave German Bein meaning 'leg', so it named the hard parts inside our bodies that hold us up and help us move.