home in

English

Alternative forms

• hone in (proscribed)

Etymology

The phrase originates in military use in the early 20th century, apparently by analogy with the older term homing pigeon. From the 1960s it is also found in the mistaken variant hone in. [1]

Verb

home in (third-person singular simple present homes in, present participle homing in, simple past and past participle homed in)

1. (military, of an aircraft or guided missile, often with 'on') To draw close to a destination, especially using radar; to move towards a target.

   Synonym: zero in

   Coordinate terms: lock in, lock on

2. (often with 'on') To focus or narrow down to something; to find, draw closer or move towards, as by trial and error or a gradual seeking process.

   Synonym: zero in

   Coordinate terms: lock in, lock on

   He used the clues to home in on the source of the flames.

   We are homing in on a solution.

   The eagle homed in for the kill.

   • 2020 December 21, Bryan Lufkin, “How 'linguistic mirroring' can make you more convincing”, in BBC‎^[2]:

     Homing in on the way someone presents can help you imitate them; for instance, some prefer to get right down to business, focusing on data and facts.

Related terms

• homing
• homing pigeon

 

Translations

to draw close to a destination

• German: sich dem Zielgebiet nähern

to draw closer or move towards

• German: (in Richtung) ... einschwenken, Kurs nehmen (auf)

Anagrams

• in-home