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 in

—George Plimpton

a missile honing in on its target

—Bob Greene

hones in on the plights and victories of the common man

—Lisa 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

Cramer acknowledged that right now, the market is honed in on the tech sector. —Julie Coleman, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2025

That could change in the final three episodes, once the scene-setting is out of the way and the documentary series can hone in on its ostensible main subjects, Evi and Vanessa. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2025

The state Department of Education has recently honed in on fiscal challenges in Hartford also — conducting an audit of district spending on special education, magnet schools and other operations. —Jessika Harkay, Hartford Courant, 23 Jan. 2025

The intrigue: One source said Biden honed in on the question of urgency, and whether Iran had taken steps that justify a dramatic military strike a few weeks before a new president takes office. —Barak Ravid, Axios, 2 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of home in

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above