hone in
verb
George PlimptonBob GreeneLisa 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
Brendan Le, People.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Players hone in on their phone screens, each watching a personal three-minute highlight clip.
—Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2025
Quality, budget, material preferences, and even the time of year are all factors to consider when honing in on the best places to buy bedding.
—Blake Bakkila, Architectural Digest, 12 Mar. 2025
By his teenage years, Ayers had managed to perform the piano, flute, steel guitar, trumpet, and drums before honing in on the vibraphone.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hone in
Cite this Entry
“Hone in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hone%20in. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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