stone
A2Neutral. Common in everyday, literary, and technical contexts.
Definition
Meaning
A hard, solid, non-metallic mineral material of which rock is made; a small piece of such material.
A unit of weight equal to 14 pounds (approximately 6.35 kg) used primarily in the UK and Ireland; a gem or jewel; a hard seed found in some fruits; something resembling a stone in hardness or solidity.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word can refer to the material ('granite is a type of stone'), a single piece of that material ('he threw a stone'), a unit of measurement ('she weighs ten stone'), or a seed ('a peach stone'). The verb form means to pelt with stones or to remove the stone from a fruit.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The unit of weight 'stone' (14 lbs) is used almost exclusively in British and Irish contexts. In American English, weight is given only in pounds. The verb 'to stone' (as in to pelt) is understood but less common in modern American usage.
Connotations
In British English, 'stone' as a weight is a neutral, everyday term. In all varieties, 'stone' can connote durability, antiquity, or coldness.
Frequency
As a noun for the material/small rock, frequency is similar. As a unit of measure, it is high-frequency in UK/Ireland and near-zero in the US.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[V] stone + [Obj] (e.g., The crowd stoned the car.)[V] stone + [Obj] + [Adv] (e.g., She stoned the cherries carefully.)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”
- “People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.”
- “Kill two birds with one stone.”
- “Set in stone.”
- “Have a heart of stone.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare, except in construction ('stone cladding') or jewellery ('precious stones').
Academic
Common in geology, archaeology, architecture, and history (e.g., 'Stone Age', 'lithic analysis').
Everyday
Very common for describing paths, walls, gardens, and fruit seeds.
Technical
Specific in geology (igneous stone), medicine (kidney stone), and printing (lithographic stone).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- Protesters threatened to stone the building.
- Would you stone these plums for the pie?
American English
- In ancient times, they would stone criminals.
- The recipe says to stone the cherries first.
adverb
British English
- (Rare as a true adverb) The floor was stone cold.
American English
- (Rare as a true adverb) He stood stone still.
adjective
British English
- They live in a lovely stone cottage.
- The stone steps were worn smooth.
American English
- They admired the stone fireplace.
- The path was made of stone slabs.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The child picked up a smooth stone from the beach.
- My house has a stone wall around the garden.
- The bridge is built from local stone, which gives it a unique colour.
- Don't forget to remove the stone from the avocado before slicing it.
- The agreement is not yet set in stone; we can still negotiate the terms.
- Archaeologists discovered stone tools dating back thousands of years.
- Her expression remained as stone, betraying none of the turmoil she felt within.
- The new evidence was the final stone in the arch of the prosecution's case.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a STONE sitting on a TONE dial of an old telephone. The STONE is so heavy it changes the TONE.
Conceptual Metaphor
STONE IS PERMANENCE/UNCHANGEABILITY (e.g., 'set in stone', 'stone-faced'); STONE IS HARDNESS/UNFEELING (e.g., 'heart of stone').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse 'stone' (камень) with 'bone' (кость) due to phonetic similarity. The unit of weight 'stone' has no direct equivalent; translate as '6.35 кг' or explain the concept.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'stone' as a countable unit in American English (e.g., 'I weigh 150 stone' is wrong in US). Confusing 'stone' (material) with 'brick' (man-made).
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following uses 'stone' as a unit of measurement?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it can refer to any size, from a small pebble to a large boulder, though context usually clarifies. For very large geological formations, 'rock' is more common.
It's a historical unit that has remained in common use for body weight in the UK and Ireland, though it is being gradually supplemented by kilograms.
They are often interchangeable. 'Stone' often implies a piece of rock that is worked, used, or moved (e.g., building stone, a thrown stone). 'Rock' is more general and often refers to the natural mass or material in situ (e.g., bedrock, rock climbing).
Yes, with two main meanings: 1) to throw stones at someone or something as a punishment or attack, 2) to remove the stone (seed) from a fruit.