zoning

[ zoh-ning ]

/ ˈzoʊ nɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR zoning ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

(especially in city planning) of or relating to the division of an area into zones, as to restrict the number and types of buildings and their uses: zoning laws.

Nearby words

Origin of zoning

First recorded in 1810–20; zone + -ing²

zone

[ zohn ]

/ zoʊn /

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

SYNONYMS FOR zone

1. region. 17. gird, band.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR zone ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Synonym study

1. See belt.

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

Examples from the Web for zoning

Zoning boards and city councils often throw up obstacles to expansion.
Getting a Job at Walmart Is Harder than Getting into Harvard|Daniel Gross|November 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The problem of lack of zoning by the State for construction in the Druze villages is seething under the surface.
The Start of a Druze Intifada?|Orly Halpern|July 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
So why even make the announcement about planning and zoning if the building phase is never going to arrive?
Bibi Is Bluffing On E1|Michael Koplow|December 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Did you see anything in this post about getting rid of zoning regulations?
How Can the Republicans Take Back the Majority?|Megan McArdle|November 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST

We went through a two-year effort to get the zoning changed to allow us to put 33 solar panels on the roof.
Al Gore Warms Up|Lloyd Grove|December 9, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Bribery and personal-interest scandals often are rooted in zoning matters.
The Nation's River|United States Department of the Interior
New York has made an elaborate report on the zoning of the city into business, industrial, and residential areas.
Introduction to the Science of Sociology|Robert E. Park
This zoning offers no real contradiction of the usual pattern of Pennsylvania migrations.
The Fair Play Settlers of the West Branch Valley, 1769-1784|George D. Wolf
Encouragement of local action to preserve the banks of smaller free-flowing streams by zoning, park acquisition, or other means.
The Nation's River|United States Department of the Interior
A class is an expression of interest, not the product of statistical distribution based on birth and zoning.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin

British Dictionary definitions for zoning

zone

/ (zəʊn) /

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 zoning

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.

Medicine definitions for zoning

zoning

[ zō′nĭng ]

n.

An unexpectedly strong immunologic reaction in a small amount of serum, probably the result of high antibody titer.

zone

[ zōn ]

n.

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

zona

A segment.

Science definitions for zoning

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.

Culture definitions for zoning

zoning

The establishment by local governments of districts that are restricted to various types of manufacturing, commercial, or residential use.

zoning

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of zoning

zone

noun

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

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

Verb Phrases

Origin of zone

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for zoning

zone

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for zone

zone

zoning

n.

zone

n.

zone

zoning