Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

zero in

British  

verb

  1. (often foll by on) to bring (a weapon) to bear (on a target), as while firing repeatedly

  2. informal to bring one's attention to bear (on a problem, etc)

  3. informal to converge (upon)

    the police zeroed in on the site of the crime

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

See Examples For:

Investors zero in on United’s potentially fatter jet-fuel bill — the airline said it expects nearly $6 billion in additional fuel expenses for the year.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 17, 2026

After Netflix greenlit a two-hour finale instead, Oseman elected to zero in on her protagonists — not unlike her comics — rather than give each character their own, heavily condensed arc.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 17, 2026

Dr Musgrove adds: "This scene is basically where Harold goes from hero in the first part to zero in the second part."

From BBC Jul. 11, 2026

Season 3 “finally starts to zero in on what feels like it might be the show’s core story,” explains Slate’s Sam Adams.

From Slate Jun. 22, 2026

In 2000, there were only ten remaining West African black rhinos in the world, all in Cameroon, zero in captivity.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training