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

For example, for rare diseases in children, AI can be useful in helping identify characteristic combinations of features to hone in on the diagnosis. —Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

Norris said a signal was detected coming from a cellphone that was in the same spot since about 3:16 p.m. local time and authorities honed in on it. —Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 30 June 2025

The Brazilian side, with its trademark flair, will counter with dynamic attacking talent and a rhythm honed in the heart of South America. —Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025

As a press conference kicked off after the joint declaration, Sky News honed in on their relationship rather than on the post-summit communique. —Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 26 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of home in

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hone in

• santonin
• calcitonin
• digitonin
• melatonin
• serotonin
• kronen
• onan
• phonon
• ronin