homing

American  

[hoh-ming] / ˈhoʊ mɪŋ /

adjective

1. capable of returning home, usually over a great distance.

   We saw the homing birds at dusk.

2. guiding or directing homeward or to a destination, especially by mechanical means.

   the homing instinct; a homing beacon.

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homing British  

/ ˈhəʊmɪŋ /

noun

1. zoology relating to the ability to return home after travelling great distances

   homing instinct

2. (of an aircraft, a missile, etc) capable of guiding itself onto a target or to a specified point

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Etymology

Origin of homing

First recorded in 1860–65; home + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Strathdee's dad, Terry, was a member of the Shotton and District Homing Society with Barlow's father, who kept his links with the town.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

Homing in on this protein, the investigators tested the effects of stripping it from the runner plasma.

From Scientific American • Dec. 8, 2021

Homing pigeons, hidden inside miners’ lunchboxes or tucked under clothes, have been used for decades to illicitly spirit gems away from the mines.

From New York Times • Feb. 23, 2021

Pigeons figure in Egyptian hieroglyphics and graced supper tables during World War I. Homing pigeons carried critical messages during war, and the U.S.

From Washington Post • Feb. 22, 2019

Homing sunlight crept into the room, lighting up my artifacts and the freckles on Miles’s face.

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia