stone
Small piece of rock
A small, hard piece of rock.
a [size/shape] stone
- He picked up a stone from the path.
- The children were skipping stones across the lake.
- A stone hit the window and cracked the glass.
- They built the wall from large stones.
- I see a stone on the road.
- She throws a stone into the water.
- He finds a small stone in the garden.
Hard mineral mass in body
A hard lump that grows inside the body, like in the kidney or gallbladder.
have a [type] stone
- The patient was diagnosed with a kidney stone.
- Gallstones can cause severe abdominal pain.
- She had surgery to remove the stones.
- He has a kidney stone.
- Gallstones can make you sick.
- The doctor takes out the stone.
UK weight unit (14 pounds)
A weight unit in the UK equal to 14 pounds (about 6.35 kilograms).
- He weighs eleven stone.
- She lost two stone on her new diet.
- In Britain, body weight is sometimes measured in stones.
- I weigh ten stone.
- She lost one stone last year.
- He is twelve stone now.
Throw stones at target
To throw stones at a person or thing.
stone [someone/something]
- The mob stoned the thief in the marketplace.
- They stoned the car as it drove past.
- She feared being stoned for her actions.
- The boys stone the windows.
- They stone the man in the street.
- People stone the car.
Hard seed inside fruit
The big, hard seed inside some fruits like peaches or cherries.
- She accidentally swallowed a cherry stone.
- Remove the stones before baking the pie.
- The peach stone was too hard to break.
- I take out the peach stone.
- Do not eat the cherry stone.
- The plum has a big stone.
- Base: stone
- Plural: stone, stones
- Base: stone
- 3rd Person Singular: stones
- Present Participle: stoning
- Past: stoned
a stepping stone
1Intermediate help toward goal
Something that helps you reach your bigger goal.
- This job is just a stepping stone to my dream career.
- Winning this award was a stepping stone to greater success.
cast the first stone
1Judge without self-reflection
To be the first to blame someone even though you also have faults.
- Before you cast the first stone, think about your own mistakes.
- He cast the first stone without knowing the full story.
leave no stone unturned
1Try every possible way
To try every way you can to do something or find something.
- The police left no stone unturned in their search for the missing child.
- We will leave no stone unturned to win this contract.
set in stone
1fixed and unchangeable
Something that cannot be changed once decided.
- The schedule isn’t set in stone yet; we can still make changes.
- His decision was set in stone, and nothing could change his mind.
set in stone
2Unchangeable decision or rule
To be fixed and not able to change.
- The schedule is not set in stone yet.
- These rules are set in stone and cannot be altered.
kill two birds with one stone
1Achieve two things at once
Do one thing that solves two problems or gives two results at the same time.
- By cycling to work, he kills two birds with one stone: exercise and saving money.
- By visiting my parents and attending the conference, I killed two birds with one stone.
- She killed two birds with one stone by visiting her friend and delivering the package at the same time.
- Cleaning the garage helped me exercise and tidy up—two birds with one stone.
kill two birds with one stone
2Achieve two goals at once
To do two things successfully with one action or effort.
- By visiting my parents on the way to the conference, I killed two birds with one stone.
- She killed two birds with one stone by shopping while waiting for her car to be repaired.