Sharpening removes steel to form a new edge. Honing means two things in the makers' own words: Gerber's how-to says to use a honing steel to straighten the edge between sharpenings, while Buck's how-to defines honing as a precision abrasion process in which a relatively small amount of material is removed from the surface by means of abrasive stones.
A knife edge is extremely thin at its apex. Under load it does not always chip or wear away; often it simply bends over to one side. A rolled edge feels dull and looks fine, and no amount of light cutting straightens it.
Gerber's how-to says to use a honing steel to straighten the edge between sharpenings, which is this job. Buck's how-to page uses the word for something else: a precision abrasion process on stones that removes a relatively small amount of material.
Honing is a smooth steel, a ceramic rod, or a leather strop. Sharpening is a stone, a diamond plate, or a guided system.
A grooved butcher's steel sits between the two: it does remove a little material as well as realigning, which is why some people prefer a smooth or ceramic rod.
Hone or strop every few uses. Sharpen only when honing stops restoring the edge, which usually means the apex has genuinely worn or chipped rather than rolled.
That habit keeps a knife sharper and makes it last decades longer. See can you over-sharpen a knife.