zone

[zohn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR zone ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any continuous area that differs in some respect, or is distinguished for some purpose, from adjoining areas, or within which certain distinctive circumstances exist or are established: The decisions were formulated in a zone of uncertainty. The temperature lies outside the danger zone.

Geography. any of five great divisions of the earth's surface, bounded by lines parallel to the equator and named according to the prevailing temperature.Compare North Frigid Zone, North Temperate Zone, South Frigid Zone, South Temperate Zone, Torrid Zone.

Biogeography. an area characterized by a particular set of organisms, whose presence is determined by environmental conditions, as an altitudinal belt on a mountain.

Geology. a horizon.

Geometry. a part of the surface of a sphere included between two parallel planes.

a specific district, area, etc., within which a uniform charge is made for transportation, mail delivery, or other service.

the total number of available railroad terminals within a given circumference around a given shipping center.

an area or district in a city or town under special restrictions as to the type, size, purpose, etc., of existing or proposed buildings.

time zone.

Also called postal delivery zone. (in the U.S. postal system) any of the numbered districts into which a city or metropolitan area was formerly divided for expediting the sorting and delivery of mail.

Sports. a particular portion of a playing area: The wing was trapped with the puck in his own defensive zone.

the zone, Informal. a state of intense concentration and focus that greatly improves a person's performance in a physical or mental activity, especially in sports: He has a great golf swing, but he needs to be in the zone.

Archaic. a girdle or belt; cincture.

verb (used with object), zoned, zon·ing.

to mark with zones or bands.

to divide into zones, tracts, areas, etc., as according to existing characteristics or as distinguished for some purpose.

to divide (a city, town, neighborhood, etc.) into areas subject to special restrictions on any existing or proposed buildings.

to encircle or surround with a zone, girdle, belt, or the like.

verb (used without object), zoned, zon·ing.

to be formed into zones.

Verb Phrases

zone out, Informal. to become inattentive or dazed: I must have zoned out toward the end of the lecture.

Origin of zone

1490–1500; < Latin zōna < Greek zṓnē belt

Related formszone·less, adjectivein·ter·zone, nounmis·zone, verb, mis·zoned, mis·zon·ing.un·zone, verb (used with object), un·zoned, un·zon·ing.

Synonyms for zone

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR zone ON THESAURUS.COM

1. region. 17. gird, band.

Synonym study

1. See belt.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for zone

sector, area, region, belt, territory, section, ground, realm, band, sphere, circuit, tract, segment

Examples from the Web for zone

Contemporary Examples of zone

Other shows have allowed gender and inequality to inspire some episodes: The Twilight Zone, for example.
Science-Fiction TV Finds a New Muse: Feminism
David Levesley
November 29, 2014
The original Twilight Zone is renowned for the acting careers it revived or jump started.
How a War-Weary Vet Created ‘The Twilight Zone’
Rich Goldstein
November 13, 2014
On rival CBS, which had been the original home of The Twilight Zone, the long running Murder, She Wrote premiered in 1984.
How a War-Weary Vet Created ‘The Twilight Zone’
Rich Goldstein
November 13, 2014
The Twilight Zone would see another incarnation at the dawn of the 21st century, with Forest Whitaker as host.
How a War-Weary Vet Created ‘The Twilight Zone’
Rich Goldstein
November 13, 2014
The trend led to a resurgence of anthology television, and renewed interest in The Twilight Zone.
How a War-Weary Vet Created ‘The Twilight Zone’
Rich Goldstein
November 13, 2014

Historical Examples of zone

Hungary has also applied the zone system to its freight traffic.
The Railroad Question
William Larrabee
Truly, this is a record which few localities can equal in any zone.
Aztec Land
Maturin M. Ballou
So Lydia sank upon the zone left by the corset and stockings.
The Prisoner
Alice Brown
The artillery duel was more intense in the zone east of Goritz.
The Story of the Great War, Volume VI (of VIII)
Various
Then it entered into a zone of torrid light which the sun threw on the waves.
A Romance of the West Indies
Eugne Sue

British Dictionary definitions for zone

zone

noun

a region, area, or section characterized by some distinctive feature or quality

a sphere of thought, disagreement, argument, etc

an area subject to a particular political, military, or government function, use, or jurisdictiona demilitarized zone

(often capital) geography one of the divisions of the earth's surface, esp divided into latitudinal belts according to temperatureSee Torrid Zone, Frigid Zone, Temperate Zone

geology a distinctive layer or region of rock, characterized by particular fossils (zone fossils), metamorphism, structural deformity, etc

ecology an area, esp a belt of land, having a particular flora and fauna determined by the prevailing environmental conditions

maths a portion of a sphere between two parallel planes intersecting the sphere

sport

a mental state that enables a competitor to perform to the best of his or her abilityHingis is in the zone at the moment
(modifier)of or relating to competitive performance that depends on the mood or state of mind of the participanta zone player

archaic, or literary a girdle or belt

NZ a section on a transport route; fare stage

NZ a catchment area for pupils for a specific school

in the zone See zone (def. 8)

verb (tr)

to divide into zones, as for different use, jurisdiction, activities, etc

to designate as a zone

to mark with or divide into zones

NZ to establish (an area) as a zone for a specific school

Derived Formszoning, noun

Word Origin for zone

C15: from Latin zōna girdle, climatic zone, from Greek zōnē

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

Word Origin and History for zone

late 14c., from Latin zona "geographical belt, celestial zone," from Greek zone "a belt," related to zonnynai "to gird," from PIE root *yes- "to gird, girdle" (cf. Avestan yasta- "girt," Lithuanian juosiu "to gird," Old Church Slavonic po-jasu "girdle").

Originally one of the five great divisions of the earth's surface (torrid, temperate, frigid; separated by tropics of Cancer and Capricorn and Arctic and Antarctic circles); meaning "any discrete region" is first recorded 1822. Zone defense in team sports is recorded from 1927. Zoning "land-use planning" is recorded from 1912. Zoned (adj.) in drug-use sense is attested 1960s, from ozone, which is found high in the atmosphere; the related verb to zone is from 1980s.

zone in Medicine

zone

[zōn]

n.

An area or a region distinguished from adjacent parts by a distinctive feature or characteristic.

zona

A segment.

zone in Science

zone

[zōn]

Any of the five regions of the surface of the Earth that are loosely divided according to prevailing climate and latitude, including the Torrid Zone, the North and South Temperate zones, and the North and South Frigid zones.

Ecology An area characterized by distinct physical conditions and populated by communities of certain kinds of organisms.

Mathematics A portion of a sphere bounded by the intersections of two parallel planes with the sphere.

Anatomy An area or a region distinguished from adjacent parts by a distinctive feature or characteristic.

Geology A region or stratum distinguished by composition or content.