- present participle of zone.
zoning
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of zoning
Explanation
Zoning is the process of splitting areas of land up into sections and clarifying what each of those sections can be used for. Your city's zoning might not allow you to build an enormous lighthouse in your front yard. Laws in a town or city that restrict what you can use land for are collectively known as zoning. Your neighborhood's zoning might allow multifamily homes and small businesses, while your cousin's area of town may have zoning that restricts it to single-family houses. In cities, zoning laws dictate where schools, medical clinics, homeless shelters, restaurants, parking lots, and liquor stores can be built. It may seem boring, but zoning affects daily life for most people.
Vocabulary lists containing zoning
Human Geography - Middle School
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Human Geography - High School
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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.
Oldenburg was pushing back against restrictive zoning and suburbanization, arguing that fully residential neighborhoods weakened the societal fabric of the United States.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
In cities such as in California, more restrictive zoning led to tight supply, which pushed up home prices.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
Animal Care and Control confirmed that the Department of Regional Planning had found zoning violations but did not provide further details.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Government then debates the incentives, zoning and subsidies necessary to land the deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
“The Plain Dealer is the real paper. The Sun Press is just local stuff: city council meetings and zoning boards and who won the science fair.”
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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.
