1 B2 neutral
To remove the bones from meat, fish, or poultry before cooking.
"Ask the butcher to bone out the leg of lamb for you if you want to stuff it."
separable
bone out
B2 neutral separable transitive
To remove the bones from meat, fish, or poultry in preparation for cooking.
In plain English
To take all the bones out of meat or fish before cooking it.
What does "bone out" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To take the bone out of a piece of meat or fish.
Actually means
To take all the bones out of meat or fish before cooking it.
Usage tip
Used mainly in cooking and butchery contexts. Less formal than 'debone' or 'fillet'. More common in professional kitchen language than in everyday home cooking speech. The object is typically the meat or the bone.
Words that pair with "bone out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
chicken leg fish duck meat joint
How to conjugate "bone out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
bone out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
bones out
he/she/it
Past simple
boned out
yesterday
Past participle
boned out
have + pp
-ing form
boning out
continuous
Hear "bone out" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "bone out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "bone out"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
bone debone dress fillet prepare remove the bones
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