Home in: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Home in phrase. To move steadily and accurately towards a target, or to focus closely on something.
How to say it
hohm IN/ˌhəʊm ˈɪn/
2 syllables, stressed on the second (IN). Forms: homes in, homed in, homing in.
Home in in a sentence
The missile homes in on the heat from the engine.
The detective homed in on the one detail that didn't fit.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- zero in
- focus on
- close in
- target
Careful
It's often written 'hone in', mixing it up with hone, to sharpen. Hone in now appears in some dictionaries, but home in is the original and the form most editors prefer.
Where home in comes from
From homing pigeons, which fly straight back to their home loft.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The detective _____ on the one detail that didn't fit.
- red herring
- home in
- beg the question
Show the answer
home in: The detective homed in on the one detail that didn't fit.