stone

Universal Words noun, verb noun hard substance 1 [U] (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 bridge / floor / carving * a flight of stone steps seealsoDRYSTONEWALL, LIMESTONE, SANDSTONE, SOAPSTONE 2 [C] (especially BrE) a small piece of rock of any shape: a pile of stones * Some children were throwing stones into the lake. seealsoHAILSTONE 3 [C] (usually in compounds) a piece of stone shaped for a particular purpose: These words are carved on the stone beside his grave. seealsoCORNERSTONE, FOUNDATIONSTONE, GRAVESTONE, HEADSTONE, LODESTONE, MILLSTONE, PAVINGSTONE, STEPPINGSTONE, TOMBSTONE jewel 4 [C] = PRECIOUSSTONE in fruit 5 [C] (especially BrE) (AmE usually pit) a hard shell containing the nut or seed in the middle of some types of fruit: cherry / peach stones in body 6 [C] (often in compounds) a small piece of hard material that can form in the BLADDER or KIDNEY and cause pain: kidney stones seealsoGALLSTONE measurement of weight 7 [C] (plural stone) (abbreviation st) (in Britain) a unit for measuring weight, equal to 6.35 kg or 14 pounds: He weighs over 15 stone. * She's trying to lose a stone. IDIOMS leave no stone unturned to try every possible course of action in order to find or achieve sth 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. moreatBLOODn., CARVE, HEART, KILLv., PEOPLEn. verb [VN] throw stones 1 [usuallypassive] to throw stones at sb/sth: Shops were looted and vehicles stoned. * to be stoned to death (= as a punishment) fruit 2 (BrE) (also pit AmE, BrE) to remove the hard seed (= the stone/pit) from the inside of a fruit: stoned black olives IDIOMS stone the crows