bone
gb/bˈoʊn/ us/bˈoʊn/
A1
English
~ 2000
csont, váz, lényeg, kicsontoz
NOUN
A2
1
csont
A2
Usage pattern:
[someone] breaks [a bone]
He broke a bone in his arm during the game.
A meccs közben eltört egy csontja a karjában.
The human body has over 200 bones.
Az emberi testben több mint 200 csont van.
Calcium is important for healthy bones.
The dog buried a bone in the backyard.
Learner examples
I broke a bone in my leg.
Eltört egy csont a lábamban.
Bones are hard inside the body.
A csontok kemények, és a test belsejében vannak.
The dog is chewing a bone.
We have many bones in our body.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'bone' with 'joint', but a joint is where two bones meet, not the bone itself.
Meaning
Hard skeletal structure
Collocations
break a bone
|bone fracture
|human bone
|bone marrow
|bone density
Synonyms
osseous tissue (A more technical, medical term for bone)
Antonyms
cartilage (A softer connective tissue in the body, in contrast to hard bone)
Themes
anatomy
|health
|biology
|body
|animals
|science
Definition
A hard part inside the body that helps form the shape and support of animals and people.
A hard, rigid organ that forms part of the skeleton of vertebrate animals.
NOUN
B1
INFORMAL
2
Usage pattern:
the bones of [something]
The bones of the plan are solid, but we need more detail.
A terv váza szilárd, de még több részletre van szükségünk.
She explained the bones of the story before going into specifics.
Először elmagyarázta a történet vázát, mielőtt belement volna a részletekbe.
This report gives you the bare bones of the situation.
Learner examples
I told her the bones of my idea.
Elmondtam neki az ötletem vázát.
We learned the bones of the story.
Megismertük a történet vázát.
This is just the bare bones of my plan.
Common mistake:
Some learners may think 'bones' here means physical bones; it's figurative for structure or main parts.
Meaning
Essential core element
Collocations
the bones of the story
|strip down to the bones
|bare bones
Synonyms
core (Refers to the central or most important part)
Antonyms
details (Details are the small parts, as opposed to the essential structure)
Themes
metaphor
|structure
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The most important or main parts of something.
The most important or central part of something, often used in plural form as 'the bones'.
VERB
B2
3
kicsontoz
B2
Usage pattern:
to bone [meat/fish]
She boned the chicken before roasting it.
Sütés előtt kicsontozta a csirkét.
I need to bone this fish for dinner.
Ki kell csontoznom ezt a halat vacsorára.
The chef showed us how to bone a duck.
Learner examples
I will bone the fish before we eat.
Kicsontozom a halat, mielőtt megesszük.
He boned the chicken for soup.
Kicsontozta a csirkét a leveshez.
The cook boned the meat.
Common mistake:
Learners might confuse 'bone' (verb) with 'debone'; both mean the same, but 'debone' is more common in professional cooking terms.
Meaning
Remove bones from food
Collocations
bone a chicken
|bone the fish
|boned meat
Synonyms
debone (A more technical or culinary term for removing bones)
Antonyms
leave whole (Keeping meat or fish with bones in)
Themes
cooking
|food preparation
|food_drink
|daily_life
Definition
To take bones out of meat or fish.
To take the bones out of meat, fish, or poultry before cooking or eating.
NOUN
A1
4
csont
A2
The dog was happily chewing on a bone.
A kutya boldogan rágcsált egy csontot.
I bought a big bone for my puppy.
Vettem egy nagy csontot a kölyökkutyámnak.
He gave the dog a leftover steak bone.
Learner examples
The dog has a bone.
A kutyának van egy csontja.
I gave my dog a big bone.
Adtam a kutyámnak egy nagy csontot.
My dog likes chewing a bone.
Meaning
Bone as animal treat/toy
Collocations
dog bone
|chew bone
Synonyms
chew toy (for dogs) (Synthetic version of a chewable item for pets)
Antonyms
kibble (Small dry pet food pieces, not a large chewable object)
Themes
pets
|daily life
|animals
|daily_life
Definition
A piece of bone for a dog to chew.
A piece of animal bone given to a pet, especially a dog, to chew on as food or amusement.
Grammar
Dictionary form
bone
IPA
GB/bˈoʊn/
US/bˈoʊn/
Syllables & stress
bone (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (bone)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: bone
- Plural: bone, bones
Verb
- Base: bone
- 3rd Person Singular: bones
- Present Participle: boning
- Past: boned
Word family
Forms
bones
noun
boning
verb
boned
verb
Core family
bony
adjective B2
Negative and opposite forms
boneless
adjective
Advanced or less common
debone
verb
Expressions
to feel it in your bones
1/tə fˈil ˈɪt ˈɪn jˈʊɹ bˈoʊnz/
idiom
informal
Sense something without proof
To be sure something will happen or is true, even if you have no proof.
Examples
- I can feel it in my bones that we're going to win.
- She felt it in her bones that he was lying.
to make no bones about [something]
1/tə mˈeɪk nˈoʊ bˈoʊnz əbˈaʊt sˈʌmθɪŋ/
idiom
informal
Speak openly without hesitation
To say something in a direct and honest way, without trying to hide your feelings or opinion.
Examples
- She made no bones about her dislike for the new policy.
- I'll make no bones about it: I think this is a bad idea.
to work your fingers to the bone
1/tə wˈɚk jˈʊɹ fˈɪŋɡɚz tə ðə bˈoʊn/
idiom
informal
Work extremely hard until exhausted
To work very hard for a long time until you are very tired.
Examples
- She worked her fingers to the bone to provide for her family.
- They worked their fingers to the bone to finish the project on time.
bare bones
1/bˈɛɹ bˈoʊnz/
idiom
Only basic essential parts
Only the most important parts, with nothing extra.
Examples
- The report gives only the bare bones of what happened.
- We need more than just the bare bones of an idea.
bare bones
2/bˈɛɹ bˈoʊnz/
idiom
only the basic structure
The most simple, basic form of something, with all extra details removed.
Examples
- The report gives only the bare bones of the new policy.
- We need more than the bare bones of an idea before we invest.
- He lives a bare-bones lifestyle to save money.