hone in
Americanverb phrase
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to focus one’s attention more narrowly or precisely on a particular task, issue, etc. (usually followed by on).
When we started looking for a condo, our agent took time with us to hone in on what we really wanted and needed.
They run a workshop to help you hone in and understand the parts of the software that are most relevant for you.
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to find, reach, or strike a target in a precise way, as with a camera, weapon, location device, or other instrument (usually followed by on).
They’re working to improve cameras that can hone in on a single object or pick a person out of a crowd.
Usage
Although increasingly common even in educated speech and writing, the expression hone in is in fact a corruption of home in. Home in was used originally of weapons moving toward their target (or “home”) under the control of an automatic aiming mechanism, and became a metaphor for focusing one’s attention on an objective. The similarity in sound between home and hone , and the fact that the basic meaning of the verb hone is “to sharpen,” explain why people use hone in when they’re thinking about “sharpening” their focus or aim. Style guides criticize this use, however, and careful speakers and writers will avoid it.
Etymology
Origin of hone in
First recorded in 1965–70
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.
"Many are good providers, but some are bad. That's the nature of a government scheme: people will hone in on it and try and slice off amounts for themselves."
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
“It allows us as a staff to really hone in on pushing these guys, and coaching and critiquing and correcting,” Riley said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
The investigation will hone in on repeated prompts that urge users not to miss out on rewards or purchase time-limited offers, the watchdog said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
“A lot of people don’t hone in on it like I do. I find that gives me a big edge.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2025
In the 1970s, for instance, researchers used microelectrodes to hone in on a key part of the brain—called the parietal lobe—crucial to shifts in attention.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
