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

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Watching the ‘turmoil’ As the campaigns unfolded over recent months, Beijing’s state media has honed in on social discord and polarization in the US. —

Simone McCarthy, CNN, 31 Oct. 2024 Therefore, the companies honed in on creating a product that could be efficiently used in the hospitality setting and feature hydrating oils with packaging that doesn’t harm the environment. —

Emily Burns, WWD, 29 Oct. 2024 By predicting what Earth could look like in the next 1,000 years, researchers may be able to hone in on possible signs of life throughout the cosmos. —

Conor Feehly, Discover Magazine, 16 Oct. 2024 This collection of works will enable her to hone in on a new path. —

Essence, 8 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hone in