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

Other Words from zone Synonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing zone Learn More About zone

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 The parcel across the street from City Hall has traditionally been the zone that the city considers the most suitable for such a project. — Alixel Cabrera, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 May 2022 Hillary Clinton visited a combat zone, stopping in Bosnia in 1996. — Darlene Superville, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2022 In the best of times, China’s gray-zone fleet, when massed, is hard to handle. — Craig Hooper, Forbes, 7 May 2022 Turn on each zone and check for leaks, breaks, etc. — Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2022 Released in 2017, the 18K white-gold watch is also water-resistant to 120 meters and equipped with the dual time-zone function Patek users will associate with the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time and Nautilus Travel Time. — Nick Scott, Robb Report, 7 May 2022 The zone refers to actors and other workers on set, plus those who come in contact with actors — like makeup artists. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 6 May 2022 Between the pandemic's effect on public finances and the war in Ukraine, the euro zone finds itself in a tough spot. — Desmond Lachman, National Review, 6 May 2022 Biden declared New Mexico wildfire areas a disaster zone. — Laura Blasey, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The reluctance of Connecticut towns to zone for multifamily housing was a focus of a report Giffin authored called Zoning For Equity, Vol. — Seamus Mcavoy, Hartford Courant, 23 Apr. 2022 In addition to reviewing Lakewood’s codes, the mayor said her administration has been examining how larger municipalities such as Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati zone large buildings and parking garages. — John Benson, cleveland, 24 Jan. 2022 The association calculated that O.C. should zone for about 183,000 new units. — Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2022 Elliott, who was a county commissioner for four years before he was elected to the state Senate in 2018, said there was not one request to zone unincorporated areas of Baldwin County during his time with the county. — al, 14 Oct. 2021 Users can zone in on specific municipalities as well as filter by income and eligibility requirements, availability, and number of bedrooms. — BostonGlobe.com, 15 Aug. 2021 The residents won the first round in the fight to block the quarry, after a request to annex several properties into Clay and re-zone them for mining was withdrawn after the city council did not take action on it. — Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 1 June 2021 The Feldenkrais Method, created by Moshe Feldenkrais, does that and more with its system of exercises that zone in on skeletal function and self-awareness through movement. — New York Times, 22 Jan. 2021 The Birmingham City Council voted on Tuesday to re-zone the former Carraway Methodist Medical Center campus, setting in motion a redevelopment that has been years in coming. — al, 10 Nov. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective And, there’s tri-zone climate controls, so passengers can control their own climate and cupholders for the second-row passengers. — Christian De Looper, BGR, 7 May 2022 High-efficiency gas furnaces and hot water heaters, energy-efficient insulation and multi-zone heating and cooling systems (in the two-level home styles) help to offset energy costs. — Karen A. Avitabile, Hartford Courant, 23 Apr. 2022 There is also a water filtration system, multi-zone central air conditioning and an LED lighting system to suit any ambience. — Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 25 Mar. 2022 Just six seconds later, after a faceoff violation, Epstein threw a cross-zone pass to Degnon, who tied the game at 4 entering halftime. — Mike Preston, baltimoresun.com, 13 Mar. 2022 The full-time missionaries were attending a multi-zone conference in Torreón, Mexico. — Fox News, 13 Nov. 2021 Another great feature for rear passengers is the tri-zone air conditioning. — James Morris, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2021 The air conditioning is tri-zone, so rear passengers have their own controls alongside both front occupants. — James Morris, Forbes, 12 June 2021 DevOps capabilities such as build and staging servers, for example, don’t need multi-zone availability. — Steve Mcdowell, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2021 See More

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.

History and Etymology for zone

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

Learn More About zone

Dictionary Entries Near zone

zonda

zone

zone axis

Statistics for zone

Last Updated

10 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Zone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zone. Accessed 20 May. 2022.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

More Definitions for zone

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

zone

verb

zoned; zoning

Kids Definition of zone (Entry 2 of 2)

: to divide into sections for different uses or purposes This area is zoned for residential use.

zone

noun

\ ˈzōn

Medical Definition of zone

1 : an encircling anatomical structure

2 : a region or area set off as distinct

zone

noun

Legal Definition of zone

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

transitive verb

zoned; zoning

Legal Definition of zone (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : 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

Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.

TAKE THE QUIZ

zone

Definition of zone

Other Words from zone

Synonyms for zone

Examples of zone in a Sentence

First Known Use of zone

History and Etymology for zone

Learn More About zone

Dictionary Entries Near zone

Statistics for zone

Kids Definition of zone

Medical Definition of zone

Legal Definition of zone

WORD OF THE DAY

ad hoc

Test Your Vocabulary

zone

Definition of zone

Other Words from zone

Synonyms for zone

Examples of zone in a Sentence

Phrases Containing zone

First Known Use of zone

History and Etymology for zone

Learn More About zone

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

Dictionary Entries Near zone

Statistics for zone

Kids Definition of zone

Medical Definition of zone

Legal Definition of zone

WORD OF THE DAY

ad hoc

Test Your Vocabulary