Standard Lemma guide

debone

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /diːˈbəʊn/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /diˈboʊn/

1

verb

Meaning 1

To remove the bones from.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ambitransitive

Examples

  • I am deboning a fish.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bone, unbone

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: prepare

2

verb

Meaning 2

remove the bones from

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • bone the turkey before roasting it

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bone

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: remove, take, take away, withdraw

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h1 Proto-Indo-European *déh1 Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin dē-der. English de- Proto-Indo-European *bheyh2-der. Proto-Germanic *bainaz Proto-Germanic *bainą Proto-West Germanic *bain Old English bān Middle English bon English bone English debone From de- + bone.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: обезкостявам (obezkostjavam) — remove the bones from something
  • Catalan: desossar — remove the bones from something
  • Chinese Mandarin: 去骨 (qùgǔ) — remove the bones from something
  • Chinese Mandarin: 剔骨 (tīgǔ) — remove the bones from something
  • Czech: vykostit — remove the bones from something
  • French: désosser — remove the bones from something
  • Galician: desosar — remove the bones from something
  • German: entbeinen — remove the bones from something
  • Icelandic: úrbeina — remove the bones from something
  • Irish: díchnámhaigh — remove the bones from something
  • Latin: exossō — remove the bones from something
  • Macedonian: обескостува (obeskostuva) — remove the bones from something
  • Māori: mākiri — remove the bones from something
  • Māori: kokoki — remove the bones from something
  • Polish: filetować — remove the bones from something
  • Spanish: deshuesar — remove the bones from something
  • Swedish: bena — remove the bones from something