- present participle of home.
homing
Americanadjective
-
capable of returning home, usually over a great distance.
We saw the homing birds at dusk.
-
guiding or directing homeward or to a destination, especially by mechanical means.
the homing instinct; a homing beacon.
noun
-
zoology relating to the ability to return home after travelling great distances
homing instinct
-
(of an aircraft, a missile, etc) capable of guiding itself onto a target or to a specified point
Etymology
Origin of homing
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Homing pigeons may use a surprising navigation mechanism.
From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026
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 in on fans of a specific sport or trying to attract casual fans can come at the cost of other corporate priorities.
From New York Times • Sep. 20, 2021
Homing sunlight crept into the room, lighting up my artifacts and the freckles on Miles’s face.
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
