zero in
Britishverb
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(often foll by on) to bring (a weapon) to bear (on a target), as while firing repeatedly
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informal to bring one's attention to bear (on a problem, etc)
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informal to converge (upon)
the police zeroed in on the site of the crime
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.
This would allow law enforcement to more easily zero in on actual criminal activity, while simultaneously raising tens of billions in revenue yearly to shrink the federal deficit.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Saudi Arabia’s oil exports to the U.S. dropped to zero in July, the first time monthly federal data show that happening since 1985.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Gordon Brown reflects in his memoirs the agonising private conversations he had about a snap election and in deciding against it found himself going "from near hero to near zero in a day."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Breathe, zero in on your target, OK, now smooth …,” she said, hovering over one attendee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
A zero in a string of digits takes its meaning from some other digit to its left.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
