- 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
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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.
“Buyers from around the country — especially Texas, Vegas, Arizona and L.A. — are homing in on Orange County.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
McIlroy is also homing in on a record eighth victory in the European tour's season-long race.
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026
But homing in on the annoying and self-defeating aspects of it misses the real story of how the movement changed American society, and the world, for the better—and how Lindy West did too.
From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2026
They used an Iranian-provided surface-to-air missile that can loiter in the sky before homing in on heat from the drones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026
Like other species of salmon, the Coho has a strong homing instinct, returning to its natal stream.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
