zone

1 of 3

noun

plural zones
1
a
: any of five great divisions of the earth's surface with respect to latitude and temperature compare frigid zone, temperate zone, torrid zone
b
: a portion of the surface of a sphere included between two parallel planes
2
archaic : girdle, belt
3
a
: an encircling anatomical structure
b(1)
: a subdivision of a biogeographic region that supports a similar fauna and flora throughout its extent
(2)
: such a zone dominated by a particular life form
c
: a distinctive belt, layer, or series of layers of earth materials (such as rock)
4
: a region or area set off as distinct from surrounding or adjoining parts
5
: one of the sections of an area or territory created for a particular purpose: such as
a
: a zoned section of a city
b(1)
: any of the eight concentric bands of territory centered on a given postal shipment point designated as a distance bracket for U.S. parcel post to which mail is charged at a single rate
(2)
: a distance within which the same fare is charged by a common carrier
c
: an area of a field, court, or rink in which players defend or attack
penalized for entering the offensive zone offside
turnovers caused by an aggressive defensive zone press
[Daniel Jones] praised Slayton for his big efforts … "Yeah, I think he was doing a good job getting open, found some space in their zone, especially on third down, and made a couple of nice catches …"Stephen Lebitsch
d
: a stretch of roadway or a space in which certain traffic regulations are in force
6
7
: a temporary state of heightened concentration experienced by a person that enables peak performance
… found his zone, taking the … Championship title …Joey Goodman
"I managed to start off with three birdies in a row and carried that momentum through the rest of the round," he [Darren Fichardt] said. "I was in the zone today and overall, I played some solid golf. …"The Sunday Post
There's no underestimating how much work you can get done when you're in the zone and listening to music …Alan Henry

zone

2 of 3

verb

zoned; zoning; zones

transitive verb

1
: to surround with a zone : encircle
2
: to arrange in or mark off into zones
specifically : to partition (a city, borough, or township) by ordinance into sections reserved for different purposes (such as residence or business)
zoner noun
plural zoners

see also zone in, zone out

zone

3 of 3

adjective

1
2
: of, relating to, or occurring in a zone defense
a zone press
a zone blitz

Examples of zone in a Sentence

Noun at that point we were out of the danger zone for avalanches Verb The town council voted to zone the area for industrial use.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Now in its third year, Russia’s war on Ukraine is still overshadowing much doc work in the region, says Hovorka – to the extent that some great films in the genre are likely being overlooked while the world’s attention is on the battle zones. Will Tizard, Variety, 27 Oct. 2024 The assignment of boarding zones, meant to quell the crowd, has heretofore been unsuccessful due to a lack of enforcement on the part of the airlines. Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Oct. 2024
Verb
Finally, do your homework regarding zoning laws, codes, and regulations. Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2024 Last year, county commissioners approved zoning changes that doubled the size of homes allowed in Hogg Hummock. CBS News, 21 Oct. 2024
Adjective
The 3,100-square-foot home – a midcentury modern design with four bedrooms and four bathrooms – will be built using insulated concrete form walls by Fox Blocks and include multi-zone Lennox high-efficiency air conditioning, a tankless hot water heater and a natural gas fireplace. Dallas News, 17 Jan. 2021 Energy-efficient insulation and multi-zone heating and cooling systems (in the two-level home styles) help to offset the rising energy costs. Karen A. Avitabile, Hartford Courant, 28 Jan. 2023 See all Example Sentences for zone 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'zone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin zōna "belt, girdle, imaginary band encircling the earth," borrowed from Greek zṓnē, going back to Indo-European *i̯eh3s-neh2, whence also, with stem variation, Russian Church Slavic pojasnĭ "belt," Sanskrit rā́snā "girdle" (*yā́snā crossed with raśanā́ "rope, bridle, girth"); derivative from a verbal base *i̯eh3s- "encircle, girdle," whence, with various stem formatives, Old Church Slavic pojašǫ, pojasati "to gird," Lithuanian júosiu, júosti, Albanian ngjesh- "gird, encircle, compress," Greek zṓnnȳmi, aorist ézōsa "(I) gird(ed)"; from a verbal adjective in *-t- Lithuanian júosta "band, zone," Greek zōstós "belted, girded," Avestan yāsta-

Verb

derivative of zone entry 1

Adjective

from attributive use of zone entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1782, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of zone was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near zone

Cite this Entry

“Zone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zone. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

zone

1 of 2 noun
1
: any of five great divisions of the earth's surface with respect to latitude and temperature
2
: a region or area set off from surrounding or neighboring parts
3
: one of the sections of an area or territory created for a particular purpose
4
: an area on a playing field

zone

2 of 2 verb
zoned; zoning
: to divide into zones
especially : to divide (as a city) into sections for different purposes (as manufacturing)

Medical Definition

zone

noun
1
: an encircling anatomical structure
2
: a region or area set off as distinct

Legal Definition

zone

1 of 2 noun
: a specifically designated section of a larger area or territory: as
a
: a section of a municipality controlled by specific restrictions on permitted use (as for residences or agriculture)
b
: a distance within which the same fare is charged by a common carrier
c
: a stretch of roadway or a space within which certain traffic regulations are in force

zone

2 of 2 transitive verb
zoned; zoning
1
a
: to partition (as a city or town) by ordinance into sections reserved for different purposes (as residence or business)
b
: to designate the permitted use of (property) by placement in a municipal zone
land zoned for agricultural use
2
: to restrict different kinds of (use) to different areas
the power to zone land use within its borders

More from Merriam-Webster on zone

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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