zone

noun

\ ˈzōn

Definition of zone

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : 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

3a : 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 on a field of play

d : a stretch of roadway or a space in which certain traffic regulations are in force

6 : zone defense

7 : a temporary state of heightened concentration experienced by a performing athlete that enables peak performance players in the zone

zone

verb

zoned; zoning

Definition of zone (Entry 2 of 3)

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)

zone

adjective

Definition of zone (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : zonal sense 1

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

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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

By buying Eero—a company that promises no Wi-Fi dead zones by deploying a customizable armada of small wireless routers around the house—Amazon will go head-to-head against Google’s OnHub. — Maria Armental, WSJ, "Amazon to Acquire Home Wi-Fi Company Eero," 11 Feb. 2019 One way to play with temperature is to suck on ice cubes and lick each other's erogenous zones. — Suzannah Weiss, Glamour, "17 Foreplay Tips & Ideas You'll Be Dying to Try," 18 Jan. 2019 They could also be used on the battlefield to create radioactive no-go zones for enemy troops. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The U.S. Military Once Had Nukes That Could Fit in a Backpack," 14 Jan. 2019 Opportunities for writing and speaking will also shine brightly for you in 2019 with eclipses moving through the communications zone of your chart. — Rebecca Gordon, Harper's BAZAAR, "Find Out What 2019 Has In Store For Your Zodiac Sign," 27 Dec. 2018 Getting there: Ferries depart nearly every half-hour from Cancún's hotel zone for Isla Mujeres. 1. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Best Islands in the World: 2018 Readers' Choice Awards," 9 Oct. 2018 When a xeno is spawned, it is attached to a zone tether. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "A years-old, one-letter typo led to Aliens: Colonial Marines’ weird AI," 14 July 2018 In another section, the draft says China could set special economic zones to promote foreign investment but doesn’t detail how the country might move beyond that to let foreign companies compete nationally. — Chao Deng, WSJ, "China Speeds Long-Sought Foreign-Investment Law," 16 Jan. 2019 Leaving chicken at room temperature for too long is more likely to lead it to that temperature danger zone. — Audrey Bruno, SELF, "All the Different Ways to Thaw Chicken Breasts, Ranked," 5 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The bill would require cities and counties to allow duplexes and some higher-density housing in lands zoned for single-family dwellings. — Andrew Selsky, The Seattle Times, "Oregon aims to tackle homelessness, housing crisis," 11 Feb. 2019 Gary Common Council members will weigh plans in coming weeks for a pair of business owners who want to expand in the city – even though the city’s zoning board specifically failed to give its recommendation to one of the projects. — Gregory Tejeda, Post-Tribune, "Approval for two new businesses pitched in Gary," 13 June 2018 The existing housing supply law says local governments must plan to have enough land zoned for residential construction to meet housing production goals across a range of income levels. — Andrew Khouri, latimes.com, "Could granny flats help ease the state's housing crisis? Some advocates think so," 13 Apr. 2018 The buildings just south of these parcels are already zoned B-1, F-1 for these types of commercial uses. — Jeff Rumage, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "New buildings planned at the site of demolished Barrett Office Park in Glendale," 9 May 2018 Initially proposed years ago, the plan would upzone 27 urban villages, plus commercial corridors and about 6 percent of lots now zoned exclusively for detached houses. — Daniel Beekman, The Seattle Times, "Seattle City Council starts debate on upzones; here’s how neighborhoods across the city would be affected," 8 Jan. 2019 Land has to be purchased and zoned for a prefab house, the foundation has to be built, and utility lines have to be made accessible, to name a few. — Maggie Burch, House Beautiful, "The Impressive Evolution Of Prefabricated Houses," 24 Dec. 2018 To qualify for the program, the household must have children zoned in one of the few elementary schools that Lyft and Martha’s Table have agreed to cover. — Shannon Liao, The Verge, "Lyft is offering $2.50 rides to grocery stores for DC residents with limited food choices," 11 Dec. 2018 Cardboard disposal was a commercial endeavor, zoned to retail and industrial spaces with specialized dumpsters and cardboard compactors. — Jamie Lauren Keiles, Vox, "Why is it so hard to get rid of cardboard boxes?," 6 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'zone.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near zone

Statistics for zone

Last Updated

15 Feb 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for zone

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

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More Definitions for zone

zone

verb

Financial Definition of zone

What It Is

Zoning is a method of determining how people can use land and buildings within a certain area.

How It Works

Zoning typically delineates areas within a town acceptable for residential construction, commercial construction, industrial construction and agricultural space. It may also require things like sidewalks, street lights, crosswalks and bridges. Zoning is codified by municipalities, and those codifications -- zoning ordinances -- also may dictate building heights and the outer appearance of buildings in certain areas (for example, the city of Santa Fe, NM, encourages most commercial buildings to be covered in stucco).

Why It Matters

Zoning is what prevents hospitals from opening up next to city dumps, or beet farms from running through the middle of downtown Scranton, Pa. The idea is that when a community is orderly, it is more attractive, safer and has fewer conflicts among land users. Ironically, however, zoning ordinances often change because of conflicts between citizens and the government about how they should be able to use their own property.

Source: Investing Answers

zone

noun

English Language Learners Definition of zone

(Entry 1 of 2)

: an area that is different from other areas in a particular way

: one of the sections in a city or town that is used for a particular purpose

zone

verb

English Language Learners Definition of zone (Entry 2 of 2)

: to officially say that (a section in a city, town, etc.) can be used for a particular purpose (such as business or housing)

See the full definition for zone in the English Language Learners Dictionary

zone

noun

\ ˈzōn

Kids Definition of zone

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a region or area set off or characterized as different from surrounding or neighboring parts The United States is located in one of earth's temperate zones.

2 : one of the sections of an area created for or serving a particular use or purpose a town's business zone