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

Standing at the front of the room, next to a portrait of Jesus, Moran honed in on his message. —Sarah Henry, The Courier-Journal, 18 Aug. 2025

As such, the study team honed in on eight young, free-floating planets with the powerful infrared space telescope. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 30 July 2025

The murders were allegedly ordered by notorious gang leader Sam McKay, the appeals court decision said, and police eventually honed in on a gang member, Tyrone Washington, as a suspect. —Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025

So, sometimes for me, honing in on a lane has never been a thing. —Steve Baltin, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 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