Phrase guide

stone's throw

noun · 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

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A short distance, roughly equivalent to how far a person can throw a stone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • A couple of grown-ups was standing a couple of stone's throws away from us.
  • 1 March 2018, Tusdiq Din on BBC Sport, Mohamed Salah: Is Liverpool striker's success improving engagement with Muslim fans? A stone's throw from The Hawthorns is Oldbury, home to Baggies fan Ashley Rawlins.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stonecast, stone's cast, stoneshot, stone's shot, hop, skip, and a jump

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a short distance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • it's only a step to the drugstore

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: step

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: small indefinite quantity, small indefinite amount

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

27 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: عَلَى مَرْمَى حَجَر (ʕalā marmā ḥajar) — short distance
  • Czech: co by kamenem dohodil — short distance
  • Danish: stenkast — short distance
  • Dutch: steenworp — short distance
  • Dutch: boogscheut — short distance
  • Estonian: kiviviske kaugusel — short distance
  • Finnish: kivenheitto — short distance
  • French: à deux pas — short distance
  • French: à un jet de pierre — short distance
  • Galician: tiro de pedra — short distance
  • Galician: pedrada — short distance
  • German: Steinwurf — short distance
  • German: Katzensprung — short distance
  • Hungarian: kőhajításnyi — short distance
  • Italian: due passi — short distance
  • Italian: tiro di schioppo — short distance
  • Norwegian: steinkast — short distance
  • Polish: rzut beretem — short distance
  • Polish: rzut kamieniem — short distance
  • Polish: żabi skok — short distance
  • Portuguese: pedrada — short distance
  • Portuguese: tiro de pedra — short distance
  • Scottish Gaelic: urchair chloiche — short distance
  • Spanish: a tiro de piedra — short distance
  • Swedish: stenkast — short distance
  • Turkish: iki adımlık mesafe — short distance
  • Welsh: ergyd carreg — short distance