STONE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does Stone mean? 

• STONE (noun)
  The noun STONE has 13 senses:

1. a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

2. building material consisting of a piece of rock hewn in a definite shape for a special purpose

3. material consisting of the aggregate of minerals like those making up the Earth's crust

4. a crystalline rock that can be cut and polished for jewelry

5. an avoirdupois unit used to measure the weight of a human body; equal to 14 pounds

6. the hard inner (usually woody) layer of the pericarp of some fruits (as peaches or plums or cherries or olives) that contains the seed

7. United States jurist who was named chief justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1941 by Franklin D. Roosevelt (1872-1946)

8. United States filmmaker (born in 1946)

9. United States feminist and suffragist (1818-1893)

10. United States journalist who advocated liberal causes (1907-1989)

11. United States jurist who served on the United States Supreme Court as chief justice (1872-1946)

12. United States architect (1902-1978)

13. a lack of feeling or expression or movement

  Familiarity information: STONE used as a noun is familiar.

• STONE (adjective)
  The adjective STONE has 1 sense:

1. of any of various dull tannish or grey colors

  Familiarity information: STONE used as an adjective is very rare.

• STONE (verb)
  The verb STONE has 2 senses:

1. kill by throwing stones at

2. remove the pits from

  Familiarity information: STONE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• STONE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Synonyms:

rock; stone

Context example:

he threw a rock at me

Hypernyms ("stone" is a kind of...):

natural object (an object occurring naturally; not made by man)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stone"):

xenolith ((geology) a piece of rock of different origin from the igneous rock in which it is embedded)

whin; whinstone (any of various hard colored rocks (especially rocks consisting of chert or basalt))

wall rock (a rock immediately adjacent to a vein or fault)

tor (a prominent rock or pile of rocks on a hill)

stepping stone (a stone in a marsh or shallow water that can be stepped on in crossing)

sill ((geology) a flat (usually horizontal) mass of igneous rock between two layers of older sedimentary rock)

petrifaction (a rock created by petrifaction; an organic object infiltrated with mineral matter and preserved in its original form)

pebble (a small smooth rounded rock)

intrusion (rock produced by an intrusive process)

crystal; crystallization (a rock formed by the solidification of a substance; has regularly repeating internal structure; external plane faces)

clastic rock ((geology) a rock composed of broken pieces of older rocks)

chondrite (a rock of meteoric origin containing chondrules)

calculus; concretion (a hard lump produced by the concretion of mineral salts; found in hollow organs or ducts of the body)

boulder; bowlder (a large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin)

bedrock (solid unweathered rock lying beneath surface deposits of soil)

achondrite (a stony meteor lacking chondrules)

outcrop; outcropping; rock outcrop (the part of a rock formation that appears above the surface of the surrounding land)

Derivation:

stone (kill by throwing stones at)

stony (abounding in rocks or stones)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Building material consisting of a piece of rock hewn in a definite shape for a special purpose

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

he wanted a special stone to mark the site

Hypernyms ("stone" is a kind of...):

building material (material used for constructing buildings)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stone"):

ashlar (a rectangular block of hewn stone used for building purposes)

capstone; copestone; coping stone; stretcher (a stone that forms the top of wall or building)

cornerstone (a stone at the outer corner of two intersecting masonry walls)

cornerstone (a stone in the exterior of a large and important building; usually carved with a date and laid with appropriate ceremonies)

foundation stone (a stone laid at a ceremony to mark the founding of a new building)

gravestone; headstone; tombstone (a stone that is used to mark a grave)

grindstone (a revolving stone shaped like a disk; used to grind or sharpen or polish edge tools)

hearthstone (a stone that forms a hearth)

millstone (one of a pair of heavy flat disk-shaped stones that are rotated against one another to grind the grain)

monolith (a single great stone (often in the form of a column or obelisk))

paving stone (a stone used for paving)

impost; springer (the lowest stone in an arch -- from which it springs)

stela; stele (an ancient upright stone slab bearing markings)

whetstone (a flat stone for sharpening edged tools or knives)

Instance hyponyms:

Blarney Stone (a stone in a castle in Ireland that is said to impart skill in flattery to anyone who kisses it)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Material consisting of the aggregate of minerals like those making up the Earth's crust

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

rock; stone

Context example:

stone is abundant in New England and there are many quarries

Hypernyms ("stone" is a kind of...):

material; stuff (the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object)

Meronyms (substance of "stone"):

mineral (solid homogeneous inorganic substances occurring in nature having a definite chemical composition)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stone"):

caliche (nitrate-bearing rock or gravel of the sodium nitrate deposits of Chile and Peru)

emery rock; emery stone (a mixture of emery dust and a binder; can be molded into grindstones)

conglomerate; pudding stone (a composite rock made up of particles of varying size)

fieldstone (stone that occurs naturally in fields; often used as building material)

dolomite (a kind of sedimentary rock resembling marble or limestone but rich in magnesium carbonate)

greisen (a granitic rock composed of quartz and mica)

calc-tufa; tufa (a soft porous rock consisting of calcium carbonate deposited from springs rich in lime)

magma (molten rock in the earth's crust)

igneous rock (rock formed by the solidification of molten magma)

limestone (a sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcium that was deposited by the remains of marine animals)

marble (a hard crystalline metamorphic rock that takes a high polish; used for sculpture and as building material)

matrix ((geology) a mass of fine-grained rock in which fossils, crystals, or gems are embedded)

claystone (fine-grained rock consisting of compacted clay particles)

aphanite (fine-grained homogeneous rock (such as basalt) containing minerals undetectable by the naked eye)

pumice; pumice stone (a light glass formed on the surface of some lavas; used as an abrasive)

shingling ((geology) sediment in which flat pebbles are uniformly tilted in the same direction)

crushed rock; gravel (rock fragments and pebbles)

metamorphic rock (rock altered by pressure and heat)

sima (rock that form the continuous lower layer of the earth's crust; rich in silicon and magnesium)

sial (the granitelike rocks that form the outermost layer of the earth's crust; rich in silicon and aluminum)

sedimentary rock (rock formed from consolidated clay sediments)

road metal (broken rock used for repairing or making roads)

quartzite (hard metamorphic rock consisting essentially of interlocking quartz crystals)

Derivation:

stone (kill by throwing stones at)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A crystalline rock that can be cut and polished for jewelry

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

gem; gemstone; stone

Context example:

she had jewels made of all the rarest stones

Hypernyms ("stone" is a kind of...):

crystal (a solid formed by the solidification of a chemical and having a highly regular atomic structure)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stone"):

cabochon (a highly polished gem that is cut convexly but without facets)

opaque gem (a gemstone that is opaque)

transparent gem (a gemstone having the property of transmitting light without serious diffusion)

Holonyms ("stone" is a part of...):

jewellery; jewelry (an adornment (as a bracelet or ring or necklace) made of precious metals and set with gems (or imitation gems))

Sense 5

Meaning:

An avoirdupois unit used to measure the weight of a human body; equal to 14 pounds

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Context example:

a heavy chap who must have weighed more than twenty stone

Hypernyms ("stone" is a kind of...):

avoirdupois unit (any of the units of the avoirdupois system of weights)

Meronyms (parts of "stone"):

lb; pound (16 ounces avoirdupois)

Domain region:

Britain; Great Britain; U.K.; UK; United Kingdom; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

Holonyms ("stone" is a part of...):

quarter (a quarter of a hundredweight (25 pounds))

Sense 6

Meaning:

The hard inner (usually woody) layer of the pericarp of some fruits (as peaches or plums or cherries or olives) that contains the seed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

endocarp; pit; stone

Context example:

you should remove the stones from prunes before cooking

Hypernyms ("stone" is a kind of...):

pericarp; seed vessel (the ripened and variously modified walls of a plant ovary)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stone"):

peach pit (the stone seed of a peach)

cherry stone (the stone seed of a cherry)

Derivation:

stone (remove the pits from)

stony (showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings)

Sense 7

Meaning:

United States jurist who was named chief justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1941 by Franklin D. Roosevelt (1872-1946)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

Harlan F. Stone; Harlan Fisk Stone; Harlan Stone; Stone

Instance hypernyms:

chief justice (the judge who presides over a supreme court)

Sense 8

Meaning:

United States filmmaker (born in 1946)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

Oliver Stone; Stone

Instance hypernyms:

film maker; film producer; filmmaker; movie maker (a producer of motion pictures)

Sense 9

Meaning:

United States feminist and suffragist (1818-1893)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

Lucy Stone; Stone

Instance hypernyms:

feminist; libber; women's liberationist; women's rightist (a supporter of feminism)

suffragist (an advocate of the extension of voting rights (especially to women))

Sense 10

Meaning:

United States journalist who advocated liberal causes (1907-1989)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

I. F. Stone; Isidor Feinstein Stone; Stone

Instance hypernyms:

journalist (a writer for newspapers and magazines)

Sense 11

Meaning:

United States jurist who served on the United States Supreme Court as chief justice (1872-1946)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

Harlan Fiske Stone; Stone

Instance hypernyms:

jurist; legal expert (a legal scholar versed in civil law or the law of nations)

Sense 12

Meaning:

United States architect (1902-1978)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

Edward Durell Stone; Stone

Instance hypernyms:

architect; designer (someone who creates plans to be used in making something (such as buildings))

Sense 13

Meaning:

A lack of feeling or expression or movement

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

her face was as hard as stone

Hypernyms ("stone" is a kind of...):

chilliness; coldness; coolness; frigidity; frigidness; iciness (a lack of affection or enthusiasm)

Derivation:

stony (showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings)

• STONE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Of any of various dull tannish or grey colors

Similar:

chromatic (being or having or characterized by hue)

• STONE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they stone    ... he / she / it stones   
Past simple: stoned   
Past participle: stoned   
-ing form: stoning   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Kill by throwing stones at

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

lapidate; stone

Context example:

People wanted to stone the woman who had a child out of wedlock

Hypernyms (to "stone" is one way to...):

kill (cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

They want to stone the prisoners

Derivation:

stone (a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter)

stone (material consisting of the aggregate of minerals like those making up the Earth's crust)

stoner (an attacker who pelts the victim with stones (especially with intent to kill))

stoning (the act of pelting with stones; punishment inflicted by throwing stones at the victim (even unto death))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Remove the pits from

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

pit; stone

Context example:

pit plums and cherries

Hypernyms (to "stone" is one way to...):

remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

stone (the hard inner (usually woody) layer of the pericarp of some fruits (as peaches or plums or cherries or olives) that contains the seed)

 Context examples 

It came quite close to Beth, and looked at her with a friendly eye and sat upon a warm stone, dressing its wet feathers, quite at home.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

How came the stone into the goose, and how came the goose into the open market?

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Now, Mr. Stone, you have your life before you, and I hope it will be one which your uncle may be proud of.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“They have sunk together like a stone.”

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It can occur following surgical procedures, inflammation, stone formation, or trauma.

(Nephrogenic Metaplasia, NCI Thesaurus)

We nearly killed you with a stone at the cave, he cried; but this is better.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Frederick slipped down on the other side, and picked up some stones.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

He found that the stone which covered it was just too heavy for a man to move unaided.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

That’s a stone and a half for the average British woman, or two stone for a man.

(Scientists Find Virus Linked to Weight Gain, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

He threw stones at her and with one chance shot broke a wing.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)