home in on
phr. v..phr. v.. to direct your attention or movement toward one specific thing or goal.
phr. v.. to focus attention or movement precisely on a specific target or objective; often used in contexts of navigation, investigation, or problem-solving.
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.
- Particles
- in on
- Separability
- inseparable
- Pattern
- home + in + on + object
usually followed by 'on' and a specific target, goal, or piece of information.
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.
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.