hone in

verb

honed in; honing in; hones in

intransitive verb

: to move toward or focus attention on an objective
looking back for the ball honing inGeorge Plimpton
a missile honing in on its targetBob Greene
hones in on the plights and victories of the common manLisa Russell
Hone in vs. Home in: Usage Guide

Most usage commentators consider hone in to be a mistake for home in. The use may have arisen from home in by the weakening of the \m\ sound to \n\ or it may have developed simply because of the influence of hone, with perhaps an underlying sense that "honing" figuratively involves a narrowing or sharpening of focus. Whatever the explanation of its origins, it has established itself in American English and has begun to make a few inroads into British English as well. Even so, your use of it especially in writing is likely to be called a mistake. Home in or in figurative use zero in is an easy alternative.

Examples of hone in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For the past two years, Restaurant Olivia, at 290 S. Downing St., has honed in on its sustainability efforts, eliminating one of its most popular dishes, lobster spaghetti, because of how much styrofoam was necessary to ship the lobster. Lily O'Neill, The Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2024 Now, with her third studio album, Don’t Forget Me, Rogers hones in on more intimate moments. Ilana Kaplan, SPIN, 10 Apr. 2024 Budget-conscious travelers should hone in on the week of April 23 for domestic and March 5 for international trips for the lowest prices, Hudson suggests. Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Feb. 2024 The panelists really honed in on clues about a famous family and TV host with their final guesses for Sir Lion of Anderson Cooper, Ryan Seacrest, Andy Cohen, and Seth Meyers. Lauren Huff, EW.com, 27 Mar. 2024 Small businesses hone in on market for big shoes Brandon Eley is president and co-founder of 2BigFeet, a shoe store based in LaGrange, Georgia that opened in late 1998. Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2024 So, the vacation rental booking company honed in on the highlights, announcing its 2024 Vacation Rentals of the Year. Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 20 Mar. 2024 With their comeback, the members chose to hone in on their signature sound. Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024 First, Renaud honed in on the micro-rotor’s key weakness: to function properly, the micro-rotor, in its current design, requires a large amplitude of movement to produce energy. Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 18 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hone in.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

alteration of home in

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hone in was in 1965

Dictionary Entries Near hone in

Cite this Entry

“Hone in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hone%20in. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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