long bone

noun

: any of the elongated bones supporting a vertebrate limb and consisting of an essentially cylindrical shaft that contains bone marrow and ends in enlarged heads for articulation with other bones compare diaphysis, epiphysis

Examples of long bone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When the three-level altar was excavated from the test pit, the project archaeologists discovered four human skulls abutting the monument, along with several long bones, which are believed to be femurs. —Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 13 Apr. 2026

On June 17, 2022, 23 years after Kinney disappeared, a family searching for seashells found a long bone sticking out of the sand on Salmon Creek Beach. —Saleen Martin, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026

Then, on June 17, 2022, a family looking for sea shells on Salmon Creek Beach in Sonoma County, California, made a chilling discovery: a long bone sticking out of the sand. —Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026

The tibia is a long bone, the second longest in the body, in the leg that spans from the ankle to the knee. —Devon Henderson, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1697, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for long bone

• alone
• atone
• backbone
• bemoan
• bluestone
• breastbone
• brownstone
• capstone
• cheekbone
• condone
• curbstone
• cyclone

Kids Definition

long bone

noun

: one of the bones supporting a limb of a vertebrate and consisting of a long nearly cylinder-shaped shaft that contains bone marrow and has enlarged ends

Medical Definition

long bone

noun

: any of the elongated bones supporting a vertebrate limb and consisting of an essentially cylindrical shaft that contains bone marrow and ends in enlarged heads for articulation with other bones