- [uncountable] (often used before nouns or in compounds) a hard solid mineral substance that is found in the ground, often used for building
- Most of the houses are built of stone.
- stone walls
- a stone floor/bridge/carving/pillar/slab
- a brick and stone building
- a flight of stone steps
- a huge block of stone
Extra ExamplesTopics Physics and chemistrya2, Buildingsa2- He is a sculptor who works mainly in stone.
- The path's stone flags were worn and broken.
- The stone is cut into blocks ready for building.
- The walls were hewn from local stone.
- a carved stone fireplace
- names carved in stone
- The walls were made of stone.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- heavy
- hard
- rough
- …
- block
- slab
- break
- cut
- hew (something from/out of)
- …
- block
- flag
- slab
- …
- in stone
- be set in
- be written in
- [countable] (especially British English) a small piece of rock of any shape
- a pile of stones
- Some children were throwing stones into the lake.
Extra Examples- Some loose stones tumbled down the slope behind her.
- The boys were caught throwing stones at passing trains.
- The boat broke in two and sank like a stone.
- (figurative) The temperature dropped like a stone.
- A group of children pelted firefighters with stones.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- sharp
- smooth
- round
- …
- heap
- pile
- cast
- hurl
- throw
- …
- [countable] (usually in compounds) a piece of stone shaped for a particular purpose
- These words are carved on the stone beside his grave.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- foundation
- memorial
- paving
- …
- circle
- (also precious stone)[countable] a rare valuable stone, such as a diamond, that is used in jewellery
- She had the stone set in a ring.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- gem
- precious
- semi-precious
- …
- mine
- cut
- set
- …
- glitter
- shine
- [countable] (especially British English) (North American English usually pit)a hard shell containing the nut or seed in the middle of some types of fruit
- cherry/peach stones
- [countable] (often in compounds) a small piece of hard material that can form in the bladder or kidney and cause pain
- kidney stones
- [countable] (plural stone)(abbreviation st)(in the UK) a unit for measuring weight, equal to 6.35 kilograms or 14 pounds
- He weighs over 15 stone.
- She's trying to lose a stone.
hard substance
jewel
in fruit
in body
measurement of weight
Word OriginOld English stān (noun), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch steen and German Stein. The verb dates from Middle English (first recorded in sense (1)).
Idioms
See stone in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee stone in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishcarved/set in stone
- (of a decision, plan, etc.) unable to be changed
- People should remember that our proposals aren't set in stone.
- These rules are not set in stone.
have a heart of stone
- to be a person who does not show other people sympathy
kill two birds with one stone
- to achieve two things at the same time with one actionTopics Successc2
leave no stone unturned
- to try every possible course of action in order to find or achieve something
like getting blood out of/from a stone
- almost impossible to obtain
- Getting an apology from him was like getting blood from a stone.
people (who live) in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones
- (saying) you should not criticize other people, because they will easily find ways of criticizing you
a rolling stone gathers no moss
- (saying) a person who moves from place to place, job to job, etc. does not have a lot of money, possessions or friends but is free from responsibilities
a stone’s throw
- a very short distance away
- We live just a stone's throw from here.
- The hotel is within a stone's throw of the beach.
Check pronunciation:
stone