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
Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Strong approached Rice and the original creative team for permission, which was quickly granted, before honing in on his version of Chess, which heightens the politics of the era, and introduces a narrator to guide the audience through the plot.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
Still, the Brewers finished the regular season as the best team in baseball, and their style of play — honing in on small-ball — will give any team fits in October.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
The panel will dive into where hip-hop meets superhero mythology, and hone in on the creative intersections between superhero lore and storytelling in rap.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 30 Sep. 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 18 Oct. 2025.
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