To sharpen with a stone. Most often honing suggests using a fine stone to produce a very sharp edge.

A method of removing metal from a cylinder bore. Honing is less aggressive (removes metal more gradually) than boring. The final step in finishing a cylinder is finish honing, which removes very little metal, and is used primarily to create the proper surface.

Historically, honing meant to achieve fine finishing. Though no clear definitions exist to distinguish one type of abrasive process from another, honing is defined by common practices. In that sense, honing is a specific machining and finishing process usually applied to internal cylindrical surfaces using small bonded abrasive stones. Using a fixture that rotates and reciprocates, honing is used to correct the geometry and alignment of holes as well as apply a special surface such as that needed in automobile engines. Force per unit area vary from 10 to 100 times less than grinding with wheels, and the abrasive grains remain in contact with the workpiece for considerably longer times. Comparable processes include superfinishing where small stones and light pressures are applied on both ID and OD portions of cylindrical parts.