zero in on

phrasal verb

zeroed in on; zeroing in on; zeroes in on

1

: to direct all of one's attention to (someone or something)

Scientists are hoping to zero in on a cure.

2

: to aim something (such as a gun or camera) directly at (someone or something)

The gunner zeroed in on the target.

Examples of zero in on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Three suspects, three stories Knowing that Aaron Friar was murdered, the police zero in on their three suspects. —Megan Kelly Brown, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2025

Authorities zeroed in on a suspect within days: His on-again-off-again girlfriend Karen Read was arrested, accused of backing into him with her SUV and then leaving him for dead. —N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2025

The attorneys general’s conversations zero in on major federal actions, from birthright citizenship to DOGE’s efforts to slim down the federal government. —Ella Lee, The Hill, 2 Apr. 2025

Anti-Trump administration protesters have zeroed in on Tesla electric vehicles since Musk began chain-sawing federal government spending and agency staffing as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 12 Apr. 2025

Rhymes for zero in on

• agamemnon
• automaton
• diencephalon
• panopticon
• phenomenon
• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon