bone
bone — noun
1. a hard piece inside a person or animal that helps support the body and protect o
a hard piece inside a person or animal that helps support the body and protect organs.
The doctor showed Noor the broken bone in her wrist.
collocation: broken bone
After the fall, Ravi could not put weight on his ankle bone.
bone in + body part
Near the entrance, a huge dinosaur bone hung above visitors.
In the X-ray, one bone in Hana's foot looked out of place.
Cats need calcium to keep their bones strong.
pattern: keep bones strong
- broken bone
- ankle bone
- leg bone
- strong bones
Grammar Patterns
broken bone
bone in + body part
strong bones
Usage Note
Often used with body-part words such as arm, hip, leg, and ankle, especially when talking about injury or growth. Distinguish from sense 2, which is a bone left in food.
Common Mistakes
2. a hard piece inside meat or fish that stays there when you cook it or eat it.
a hard piece inside meat or fish that stays there when you cook it or eat it.
Priya set the fish bone aside before giving the soup to Leo.
collocation: fish bone
That chop still has a small bone near the middle.
bone in + piece of meat
Grandma boiled beef bones all afternoon for a rich soup.
boil bones for soup
Yusuf picked the last bone from the chicken before serving the children.
Under the kitchen table, the dog chewed a lamb bone happily.
- fish bone
- lamb bone
- beef bones
- pick out the bone
- fish bone
used only for fish
- bone fragment
suggests a small broken piece
- gristle
not the same thing; it is tough cartilage, not bone
Grammar Patterns
fish bone
bone in + meat
boil bones for soup
Usage Note
Common with fish, chicken, lamb, and beef in cooking or eating contexts. Unlike sense 1, this sense is about a bone as part of food on the table.
Common Mistakes
3. a hand-played rhythm instrument made from two slim pieces that click against eac
a hand-played rhythm instrument made from two slim pieces that click against each other.
At the folk concert, Ines played the bones beside the fiddle.
pattern: play the bones
Between two fingers, Bao clicked the bones in time with the drum.
click the bones
The music shop sold a plastic pair of bones for beginners.
a pair of bones
During rehearsal, the dancer kept the bones ready in one hand.
- play the bones
- click the bones
- pair of bones
Grammar Patterns
play the bones
click the bones
a pair of bones
Usage Note
Usually appears as the bones in folk-music contexts and often names the pair as one instrument. Distinguish from sense 1, the body part inside a person or animal.
a bag of bones
idiomA person or animal that is extremely thin.
After weeks without food, the stray dog was a bag of bones.
He looked like a bag of bones after his long illness.
The most basic or essential facts of something.
The teacher explained the bare bones of the theory.
Can you give me the bare bones of the report?
a bone of contention
idiomA subject that causes disagreement between people.
The new policy became a bone of contention among the staff.
Money is often a bone of contention in their marriage.
close to the bone
idiomSo honest or direct that it might upset someone.
His joke about her weight was too close to the bone.
The documentary's criticism of the government was close to the bone.
To reduce something, especially costs, as much as possible.
The company had to cut its budget to the bone.
We pared our expenses to the bone to survive.
To be very sure about something without having proof.
I feel it in my bones that we will win the game.
She felt in her bones that something was wrong.
To be angry with someone and want to discuss it.
I have a bone to pick with you about the broken window.
She had a bone to pick with her neighbor over the noise.
Very determined and unwilling to stop or give up.
Once he starts a project, he is like a dog with a bone.
The reporter was like a dog with a bone, chasing the story.
To be honest and direct about something without hesitation.
She made no bones about her dislike for the new rule.
He made no bones about asking for a raise.
To have none of a particular quality.
He doesn't have a mean bone in his body.
She doesn't have a lazy bone in her body.
To add details to a basic idea to make it more complete.
The author put flesh on the bones of the historical events.
We need to put flesh on the bones of our plan.
Extremely thin, often in an unhealthy way.
After the famine, the villagers were all skin and bone.
The rescued cat was nothing but skin and bone.
To give someone a small part of what they want to keep them satisfied.
The manager threw the team a bone by giving them a day off.
The company threw a bone to the protesters with a minor concession.
to the bone
idiomIn a way that affects you very deeply or completely.
The cold wind chilled him to the bone.
Her cruel words cut him to the bone.
To work extremely hard.
She worked her fingers to the bone to support her family.
He worked his fingers to the bone on the farm.
bone — verb
1. to take the hard pieces out of meat or fish before it is cooked or served.
to take the hard pieces out of meat or fish before it is cooked or served.
The chef boned the trout before stuffing it with lemon slices.
bone + fish before cooking
Nadia boned the chicken on a wooden board after washing it.
bone + chicken
Please bone the sardines carefully, because the children are waiting.
imperative: bone + object
At the market, Omar asked the seller to bone the rabbit.
- bone the fish
- bone the chicken
- carefully bone
Grammar Patterns
bone + fish/meat
bone + object + before cooking
Usage Note
Object is usually a fish, a bird, or a cut of meat prepared for eating. More common in recipe, butcher, and market language than in ordinary daily talk.
Common Mistakes
2. a very rude slang verb for having sex with someone.
a very rude slang verb for having sex with someone.
In the film, a drunk soldier bragged that he had boned a waitress.
very rude slang in reported speech
At the bar, one man asked whether Luca had boned the singer.
bone + someone
The gossip site hinted that the two actors had boned after rehearsal.
intransitive use
The comic apologized after joking that he wanted to bone his neighbor.
- bone someone
- had boned
- wanted to bone
- have sex with
neutral description without the rude tone
- sleep with
common and less direct
- hook up with
informal and broader; it does not always mean sex
Grammar Patterns
bone + someone
have boned + someone
have boned (intransitive)
Usage Note
Very rude slang; avoid it in neutral, polite, or professional contexts. It can take a human object or appear without one when the other person is already understood.
Word family
- bonyadjectiveB2
- bonelessadjectiveB2
- deboneverbC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
Bone is the general word for one hard piece in a person or animal body. Skeleton means the whole framework of bones together, so it is used when you mean the complete structure, not one part. Skull is the bony case of the head, and rib is one curved bone around the chest. Use bone when the exact type does not matter or is still unknown: The doctor found a small broken bone in her hand. Use skeleton for museum displays or body structure as a whole, skull for the head, and rib for chest bones.
Etymology
Bone comes from Old English ban, a Germanic word for the hard parts of the body. It is related to words in other Germanic languages, including Dutch been and German Bein, though some of those later developed different everyday meanings.