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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The key is honing in on comfort-forward features like breathable fabrics, elastic waistbands, or loose-fit silhouettes. —

Talia Ergas, Travel + Leisure, 16 Jan. 2025 Current estimates suggest Roman's wide field of view will locate thousands of early supernovas for the sensitive infrared eye of the JWST to hone in on and investigate. —

Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 Jan. 2025 While playoffs and accolades are one thing, Stroud talked about honing in on his relationship with God instead. —

Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 5 Jan. 2025 The best place to start, however, is to hone in on your goals. —

Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press, 31 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hone in