zero in on

1. Aim precisely at a target, as in They zeroed in on the last snipers . [c. 1940]

2. Direct one's attention to, concentrate or focus on, as in We must zero in on the exact combination of ingredients , or The whole class zeroed in on the new assignment . This usage transfers aiming a firearm to directing one's attention. [Mid-1900s]

3. Converge on, close in on, as in The children zeroed in on the electric train display . [Mid-1900s]

Example Sentences

The Justice Department appeared to zero in on small sections of the extensive “UC 2030 Capacity Plan” that chart out desires to increase diversity among graduate students and faculty, including adding 1,100 tenure-track faculty.

From Los Angeles Times

Then she heard the shouts of her partner Robbie, desperately searching for her and their baby, and she called back to him so he could zero in on her voice.

From BBC

By stripping away genre conventions, “April” eschews traditional storytelling to zero in on far more existential matters — namely, the oppressive gloom descending on Nina.

From Los Angeles Times

By pushing aside the distractions to zero in on what matters – like the frays on an aristocrat’s sleeve, or the faintest scent lingering on crime scene objects – he weaves a story that explains at least part of a crime and the reasons people commit them.

From Salon

The California cases and the vast majority of those nationally zero in on partnerships the department said campuses have with the PhD Project, a New Jersey-based nonprofit that promotes “workplace diversity by increasing the diversity of business school faculty who encourage, mentor and enhance the preparation of tomorrow’s leaders,” according to its website.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• address 
• design 
• direct 
• focus 
• intend 
• mean 
• plan 
• propose 
• target 
• try 
• want