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stone

stone

897 1.0
A hard natural rock used for building or a small piece of it
  • noun
  • /stoʊn/
: piedra
  • The walls were made of a core of rough stone blocks faced with limestone slabs.
  • a stone wall
  • stone pavement
  • stepping stones

Toughen up, take a walk over the sharp stones, then come back.

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Examples

  • During a spring 2009 visit to Shahdad, he discovered a small stone container lying on the ground.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The closest sources for the stone they were made from are hundreds of miles away.

    Academic text (2008)
  • So this room is made of stone, stone walls, stone floor.

  • It's all white, plain stone, no plants, no life, no sound.

  • I needed a few foundation stones from which to work.

  • The site contains one of the most impressive prehistoric stone monuments found in Africa.

    Academic text (2011)
  • This ancient castle is built from large blocks of stone that have stood the test of time.

  • The path was lined with small, smooth stones that glistened in the sunlight.

  • She collected beautiful stones from the beach to use in her art projects.

Synonyms

rock
vsstone
∞ 1.0

Hard natural stone that you find on the ground or underground

is often used for building or refers to smaller worked pieces
pebble
vsstone
52 1.0

A small smooth rounded stone often found on a beach or riverbank

is the general material often used in building not only tiny pieces

Antonyms

557 1.0

Easily pressed when you touch it

214 1.0

Flowing and not solid, like water when warm

Idioms

stone cold
  • Informal
30 3.6

Very cold with no warmth

to turn to stone
  • Literature
18 7.7

Become completely still and look like stone when frightened

set in stone
  • Informal
12 3.9

Not able to be changed

To do two things at once with one action

made of stone
  • Informal
8 8.1

Not showing any feeling or care

Try every possible way and search everywhere to achieve a goal

8 7.7

To be the first to criticize someone when you have the same fault

stone dead
  • Informal
5 5.1

Completely without life or totally not working

heart of stone
  • Informal
5 6.4

Someone who shows no pity or kindness to others

carved in stone
  • Informal
4 5.7

Fixed and not able to be changed

4 6.7

Fall or fail very quickly and completely

stone cold sober
  • Informal
3 5.6

Not affected by alcohol or drugs at all

stone deaf
  • Specialized
2 7.7

Completely unable to hear or accept advice

1 8.2

A person who moves from place to place, never staying long

stone the crows
  • Archaic
1 9.9

An expression people say to show surprise or disbelief

1 7.8

Old-fashioned and slow to use new technology

Compounds

33 3.7

A long time when early people made tools from stone

28 2.7

A low fence made by stacking rough stones to mark boundaries or keep animals out

A thing that helps you make progress toward a goal

22 4.1

Very cold with no warmth left

20 3.7

A hard mass that forms in the kidney and often causes pain when you pee

A rare valuable gem like a diamond used in jewelry

A person who moves often and does not stay in one place

philosophers' stone
  • Literature
4 9.9

People in old stories say it changes ordinary metals into gold or gives eternal life

Something that helps people understand a difficult subject or system

stone-sober
  • Informal
4 6.9

Shows no signs of being drunk

4 2.8

A flat piece of stone used to make a hard surface for paths or roads

A tall upright stone from very long ago placed alone or in a group

3 4.5

A stone placed at a building's start during a ceremony, often with the date and founder's name

Blarney Stone
  • Literature
2 8.1

A stone at Blarney Castle in Ireland that people kiss to speak in a fluent, pleasant way

2 4.1

A large edible crab with a hard shell found in Florida and southern US waters, often eaten for its meat

2 3.4

A soft juicy fruit with one hard seed inside, like a peach or cherry

An ancient carved stone that helped scholars read Egyptian hieroglyphics

A flat stone in shallow water used to step across

blue stone
  • Archaic
2 7.8

A blue crystal chemical used to kill fungus on plants and in chemistry

1 3.8

A light, rough rock used to rub off hard skin

philosopher's stone
  • Literature
1 9.9

A magical thing that turns metals into gold and makes people live forever

stone-broke
  • Informal
1 8.6

Having no money at all

1 6.7

Unable to hear anything at all

A stone like amethyst or turquoise used in jewelry that costs less than diamonds

1 6.1

Having no life or power at all

bladder stone
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A hard lump of mineral that forms in the bladder

An experience that helps someone make progress toward a goal

A wall made of stones fitted together without mortar

1 2.8

A hard seed inside a cherry that you remove before eating

1 6.3

A heavy round piece of granite with a handle that slides across ice in the game of curling

stone fly
  • Specialized
1 8.9

A winged insect that lives near streams and whose young live under stones in water

1 3.9

Small smooth round rocks about the size of peas used in gardens

1 7.4

A hard, colorful rock often red, brown or green used for jewelry and decoration

1 8.4

Not able to see at all

1 3.9

A dull gray color like stone or slate

coping stone
  • Specialized
1 7.8

A flat stone on top of a wall that protects it from rain

stone facing
  • Specialized
1 6.6

A layer of stone attached to the outside of a wall or riverbank to protect it

A person who smashes large hard rocks by hand for building or road work

A later part of the Stone Age when people begin farming and make polished stone tools

pudding stone
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A rock made of many pebbles and small stones held together by harder material

1 7.5

A medium-sized pine tree with a wide top that makes edible pine nuts

emery stone
  • Specialized
1 7.4

A hard block used to sharpen or polish metal and jewelry

1 4.9

A large open hole in the ground where people take stone for building

abrading stone
  • Specialized
1 8.5

A stone people rub on other objects to smooth or sharpen them

living stone
  • South African
1 9.3

A small plant with thick leaves that looks like a stone and has yellow or white flowers

stone curlew
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A large bird with a big head and eyes that is active at night near coasts and wetlands

stone drill
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A tool that makes holes in hard rock

stone-face
  • South African
1 9.9

A small plant with thick leaves that looks like a stone and has yellow or white flowers

1 9.5

A small plant with thick leaves that look like stones and a single yellow or white flower

china stone
  • Specialized
9.4

A fine white clay made when rocks break down and used to make pottery and as a filler

cinnamon stone
  • Specialized
9.9

A yellow to brown gem that is a type of garnet used in jewelry

flowering stone
  • South African
9.6

A small plant with thick leaves that look like stones and one yellow or white flower

A large tree from central Europe with groups of five needles and edible seeds

stepping stone
  • Specialized
8.0

A computer used by a hacker to reach other computers and hide where they came from

8.6

A large brown fish that lives near rocks and shipwrecks in the Atlantic and Mediterranean

9.5

A low spreading bush with red berries like a raspberry and prickly stems

8.9

A small wild animal like a weasel with brown fur and a pale throat patch found in Europe and Asia

stone mimicry plant
  • South African
9.9

A small water-storing plant with thick leaves that look like stones

A wild plant with flat divided leaves and small white or pink flowers

stone cress
  • Specialized
9.8

A small plant with delicate pink flowers that grows on sunny rocky ground

9.9

A strong-smelling upright plant with toothed leaves and yellow flowers

A machine that splits large rocks like granite into pieces

A machine that splits large stone blocks like granite or marble into smaller pieces

stone-root
  • Specialized
9.9

A forest plant with strong-smelling leaves and yellow flowers

How Big

monolith
16 7.5
boulder
77 2.2
rock
∞ 1.0
stone
897 1.0
pebble
52 1.0

Surface Forms

stone singular
stones plural

Etymology

Stone comes from an old English word stān meaning 'rock' or 'hard', and it is like the German Stein. So stone means a hard, solid material used for building or a small piece of rock.