Phrasal verb
home in on
Definition
phrasal verb. to direct your attention or movement toward one specific thing or goal.
phrasal verb. to focus attention or movement precisely on a specific target or objective; often used in contexts of navigation, investigation, or problem-solving.
Examples
“The police began to home in on the suspect.”
“After hours of searching, the rescue team managed to home in on the pilot's radio signal.”
“The researchers were finally able to home in on the specific gene responsible for the rare condition after years of broad data analysis.”
Examples
simple
“The police began to home in on the suspect.”
contextual
“After hours of searching, the rescue team managed to home in on the pilot's radio signal.”
complex
“The researchers were finally able to home in on the specific gene responsible for the rare condition after years of broad data analysis.”
Usage
usually followed by 'on' and a specific target, goal, or piece of information.
Teaching tip
note the common confusion with 'hone in on'; 'home' is the original and more accurate term, relating to a homing pigeon finding its way to a target.
Pitfall
We need to hone in on the problem.
We need to home in on the problem.
while 'hone' means to sharpen a skill, 'home in on' is the correct phrase for moving toward or focusing on a target.
Phrasal verb
Particles
in on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
home + in + on + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/home-in-on