boning

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   The present participle of 'bone', meaning removing the bones from meat, fish, or poultry.

   Grammar: Used after 'be' or as a gerund: She is boning the fish. / Boning a chicken takes practice.

   Patterns

   • be boning something
   • boning a chicken/fish

   The chef is boning the trout before cooking it.

   Boning a whole chicken can take several minutes.

   He learned boning techniques at culinary school.

2. 2noununcountable

   The act or process of removing bones from meat, fish, or poultry.

   Grammar: Usually uncountable; can be used with 'the' when referring to a specific instance: The boning of the fish was done quickly.

   Patterns

   • the boning of something
   • boning process

   The boning of the fish is done by hand.

   This knife is designed for boning.

   She watched a video on the boning of poultry.

Common combinations

boning knife

Use a boning knife to remove the bones cleanly.

fish boning

Fish boning requires a steady hand.

boning a chicken

Boning a chicken is easier with sharp scissors.

Synonyms and how they differ

deboning

Deboning is a synonym, but 'boning' is more common in professional kitchens.

Word family

bone verb

To remove the bones from something.

boned adjective

Having had the bones removed, as in 'boned chicken'.

boneless adjective

Having no bones.

Commonly confused: boning or boring?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “boning”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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