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

Last year, the band sat down to film digital series like 2 Kids Show and One Kid’s Room that honed in on the intimate and honest connections the members look to create with their fans. —Jeff Benjamin, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025

The act hones in on the working conditions of models, granting them greater control over their contracts, more transparency regarding their expenses, and formal places to report any type of harassment and against using AI to replicate a model’s likeness. —Essence, 3 Jan. 2025

However, use this as an opportunity to sharpen your focus and hone in on what’s truly important. —Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Jan. 2025

In honor of football season, The Enquirer is honing in on our local NFL team. —Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 29 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

alteration of home in

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above