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to the bone

prepositional phrase

Completely, totally.

“The winter wind was so bitter it chilled me to the bone.”

Similar

to the core all the way from soup to nuts in excelsis to the backbone to the brim to the fullest to the full

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Meanings

prepositional phrase

idiomaticCompletely, totally.
The winter wind was so bitter it chilled me to the bone.
5 more examples
After walking home in the rain, she was soaked to the bone.
I'm being worked to the bone to meet deadlines before the holiday rush.
She could tell right away / That I was bad to the bone
1982, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, “Bad to the Bone”, in Bad to the Bone
I am one of those melodramatic fools / Neurotic to the bone, no doubt about it
1994, Green Day, “Basket Case”, in Dookie
Lately, did you ever feel the pain / In the morning rain / As it soaks you to the bone?
1994, Noel Gallagher, “Live Forever”, in Definitely Maybe, performed by Oasis
Synonyms: to the core, all the way, from soup to nuts, in excelsis, to the backbone, to the brim, to the core, to the fullest

Synonyms & antonyms

prepositional phraseCompletely, totally.

Similar

to the core all the way from soup to nuts in excelsis to the backbone to the brim to the core to the fullest to the full to the gills to the gunnels to the hilt to the marrow to the max to the nines to the nth degree to the tonsils to the top of one's bent top to bottom

Also see

completely to the backbone to the brim to the core to the full to the gills to the gunnels to the hilt to the max to the nines to the nth degree to the tonsils to the top of one's bent up to eleven

Translations

French jusqu'aux os

jusqu'aux oscompletely

Hebrew עד העצם

עד העצםcompletely

Italian fino all'osso, fino al midollo

fino all'ossocompletely
fino al midollocompletely

Polish do szpiku kości

do szpiku kościcompletely

Portuguese até os ossos

até os ossoscompletely

Spanish hasta la médula

hasta la médulacompletely

Cite this entry

APA

to the bone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/to%20the%20bone

MLA

“to the bone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/to%20the%20bone. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “to the bone,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/to%20the%20bone.

Source: to the bone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.