stone
♦♦ stone /st'oʊn/ (stones stoning stoned)
The plural is usually stone in meaning 10.
1 [N-MASS]
Stone is a hard solid substance found in the ground and often used for building houses.
He could not tell whether the floor was wood or stone...
People often don't appreciate that marble is a natural stone.
...stone walls.
2 [N-COUNT]
A stone is a small piece of rock that is found on the ground.
He removed a stone from his shoe...
The crowd began throwing stones.
3 [N-COUNT]
A stone is a large piece of stone put somewhere in memory of a person or event, or as a religious symbol.
The monument consists of a circle of gigantic stones.
4 [N-UNCOUNT] oft with brd-neg
Stone is used in expressions such as set in stone and tablets of stone to suggest that an idea or rule is firm and fixed, and cannot be changed.
Scientific opinions are not carved on tablets of stone; they change over the years.
5 [N-COUNT]
You can refer to a jewel as a stone.
...a diamond ring with three stones.
6 [N-COUNT] usu n N
A stone is a small hard ball of minerals and other substances which sometimes forms in a person's kidneys or gall bladder.
He had kidney stones.
7 [N-COUNT]
The stone in a plum, cherry, or other fruit is the large hard seed in the middle of it. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use pit)
8 [VERB] V n
If you stone a fruit, you remove its stone. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use pit)
Then stone the fruit and process the plums to a puree.
9 [VERB] V n
If people stone someone or something, they throw stones at them.
A post office was set on fire and vehicles were stoned by looters.
10 [N-COUNT] usu num N
A stone is a measurement of weight, especially the weight of a person, equal to 14 pounds or 6.35 kilograms. (BRIT)
I weighed around 16 stone.
11
see also stoned, foundation stone, precious stone, precious stone, stepping stone
12 [PHRASE] PHR prep/adv
If you say that one place is a stone's throw from another, you mean that the places are close to each other.
...a two-bedroom apartment just a stone's throw from the beach...
Just a stone's throw away is the City Art Gallery.
13 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you say that you will leave no stone unturned, you are emphasizing that you will try every way you can think of in order to achieve what you want.
He said he would leave no stone unturned in the search for peace.
14
kill two birds with one stone: see birdfoun|da|tion stone (foundation stones)
1 [N-COUNT] oft with poss
A foundation stone is a large block of stone built into a large public building near the bottom. It is often involved in a ceremony for the opening of the building, and has writing on it recording this. (mainly BRIT; in AM, use cornerstone)
The Princess of Wales laid the foundation stone for the extension to the Cathedral.
2 [N-COUNT] usu N of n
The foundation stone of something is the basic, important thing which its existence or success depends on.
...these foundation stones of the future: education, training, research, development.pav|ing stone (paving stones)
[N-COUNT]
Paving stones are flat pieces of stone or concrete, usually square in shape, that are put on the ground, for example to make a path. (mainly BRIT)pre|cious stone (precious stones)
[N-COUNT]
A precious stone is a valuable stone, such as a diamond or a ruby, that is used for making jewellery.
= gempum|ice stone (pumice stones)
1 [N-COUNT]
A pumice stone is a piece of pumice that you rub over your skin in order to clean the skin or make it smoother.
2 [N-UNCOUNT]
Pumice stone is the same as pumice.step|ping stone (stepping stones)
also stepping-stone
1 [N-COUNT] oft N to n
You can describe a job or event as a stepping stone when it helps you to make progress, especially in your career.
Many students now see university as a stepping stone to a good job.
2 [N-COUNT] usu pl
Stepping stones are a line of large stones which you can walk on in order to cross a shallow stream or river.stone deaf
also stone-deaf
[ADJ] usu v-link ADJ
Someone who is stone deaf cannot hear at all.
The plural is usually stone in meaning 10.
1 [N-MASS]
Stone is a hard solid substance found in the ground and often used for building houses.
He could not tell whether the floor was wood or stone...
People often don't appreciate that marble is a natural stone.
...stone walls.
2 [N-COUNT]
A stone is a small piece of rock that is found on the ground.
He removed a stone from his shoe...
The crowd began throwing stones.
3 [N-COUNT]
A stone is a large piece of stone put somewhere in memory of a person or event, or as a religious symbol.
The monument consists of a circle of gigantic stones.
4 [N-UNCOUNT] oft with brd-neg
Stone is used in expressions such as set in stone and tablets of stone to suggest that an idea or rule is firm and fixed, and cannot be changed.
Scientific opinions are not carved on tablets of stone; they change over the years.
5 [N-COUNT]
You can refer to a jewel as a stone.
...a diamond ring with three stones.
6 [N-COUNT] usu n N
A stone is a small hard ball of minerals and other substances which sometimes forms in a person's kidneys or gall bladder.
He had kidney stones.
7 [N-COUNT]
The stone in a plum, cherry, or other fruit is the large hard seed in the middle of it. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use pit)
8 [VERB] V n
If you stone a fruit, you remove its stone. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use pit)
Then stone the fruit and process the plums to a puree.
9 [VERB] V n
If people stone someone or something, they throw stones at them.
A post office was set on fire and vehicles were stoned by looters.
10 [N-COUNT] usu num N
A stone is a measurement of weight, especially the weight of a person, equal to 14 pounds or 6.35 kilograms. (BRIT)
I weighed around 16 stone.
11
see also stoned, foundation stone, precious stone, precious stone, stepping stone
12 [PHRASE] PHR prep/adv
If you say that one place is a stone's throw from another, you mean that the places are close to each other.
...a two-bedroom apartment just a stone's throw from the beach...
Just a stone's throw away is the City Art Gallery.
13 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you say that you will leave no stone unturned, you are emphasizing that you will try every way you can think of in order to achieve what you want.
He said he would leave no stone unturned in the search for peace.
14
kill two birds with one stone: see birdfoun|da|tion stone (foundation stones)
1 [N-COUNT] oft with poss
A foundation stone is a large block of stone built into a large public building near the bottom. It is often involved in a ceremony for the opening of the building, and has writing on it recording this. (mainly BRIT; in AM, use cornerstone)
The Princess of Wales laid the foundation stone for the extension to the Cathedral.
2 [N-COUNT] usu N of n
The foundation stone of something is the basic, important thing which its existence or success depends on.
...these foundation stones of the future: education, training, research, development.pav|ing stone (paving stones)
[N-COUNT]
Paving stones are flat pieces of stone or concrete, usually square in shape, that are put on the ground, for example to make a path. (mainly BRIT)pre|cious stone (precious stones)
[N-COUNT]
A precious stone is a valuable stone, such as a diamond or a ruby, that is used for making jewellery.
= gempum|ice stone (pumice stones)
1 [N-COUNT]
A pumice stone is a piece of pumice that you rub over your skin in order to clean the skin or make it smoother.
2 [N-UNCOUNT]
Pumice stone is the same as pumice.step|ping stone (stepping stones)
also stepping-stone
1 [N-COUNT] oft N to n
You can describe a job or event as a stepping stone when it helps you to make progress, especially in your career.
Many students now see university as a stepping stone to a good job.
2 [N-COUNT] usu pl
Stepping stones are a line of large stones which you can walk on in order to cross a shallow stream or river.stone deaf
also stone-deaf
[ADJ] usu v-link ADJ
Someone who is stone deaf cannot hear at all.