"zero in" meaning in English

See zero in in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: En-au-zero in on.ogg [Australia] Forms: zeroes in [present, singular, third-person], zeros in [present, singular, third-person], zeroing in [participle, present], zeroed in [participle, past], zeroed in [past]
Etymology: The phrase possibly comes from adjusting a sighting mechanism of a firearm to minimise the discrepancy between where the sight points and where a bullet lands on a target. Another possible source is the Cartesian coordinate system in mathematics. In the coordinate system, points are defined relative to an origin (point of reference) labeled O, which has an (x,y) coordinate pair of (0,0). Head templates: {{en-verb|zero<zeroes> in|pres_3sg2=zeros in}} zero in (third-person singular simple present zeroes in or zeros in, present participle zeroing in, simple past and past participle zeroed in)
  1. To focus one's aim; to zoom in and center (on something). Related terms: dial in, home in Translations (aim precisely): yikʼizhdiilniiʼ (Navajo)
    Sense id: en-zero_in-en-verb-EKPNB8-m Disambiguation of 'aim precisely': 82 12 4 3
  2. To successfully narrow down a search (for). Categories (topical): Zero
    Sense id: en-zero_in-en-verb-Q0xwuIdz Disambiguation of Zero: 25 44 20 11 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English phrasal verbs with particle (in), English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 17 65 8 9 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 29 46 12 13 Disambiguation of English phrasal verbs with particle (in): 24 50 14 12 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 25 58 9 8
  3. To concentrate or focus one's attention (on a task).
    Sense id: en-zero_in-en-verb-~nPn4~UT
  4. (idiomatic) To converge (on). Tags: idiomatic
    Sense id: en-zero_in-en-verb-MuMcbZoM

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for zero in meaning in English (5.3kB)

{
  "etymology_text": "The phrase possibly comes from adjusting a sighting mechanism of a firearm to minimise the discrepancy between where the sight points and where a bullet lands on a target.\nAnother possible source is the Cartesian coordinate system in mathematics. In the coordinate system, points are defined relative to an origin (point of reference) labeled O, which has an (x,y) coordinate pair of (0,0).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "zeroes in",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zeros in",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zeroing in",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zeroed in",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zeroed in",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "zero<zeroes> in",
        "pres_3sg2": "zeros in"
      },
      "expansion": "zero in (third-person singular simple present zeroes in or zeros in, present participle zeroing in, simple past and past participle zeroed in)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The pilot zeroed in on the bunker and launched a guided missile.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "Zero in and find a watermark in the image.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1981 September 15, day@RAND-UNIX, “C debugging”, in fa.unix-wizards (Usenet)",
          "text": "When you invoke the VAX C compiler with -p for profiling it generates an assembly-language call to a profiling subroutine for which I substituted my own heap-checker, and that enabled me to zero in on a heap-violation which was caused by an array-out-of-bounds condition.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021 December 6, Andrew E. Kramer, “Companies Linked to Russian Ransomware Hide in Plain Sight”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
          "text": "The Biden administration has also zeroed in on the building, Federation Tower East, the tallest skyscraper in the Russian capital.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To focus one's aim; to zoom in and center (on something)."
      ],
      "id": "en-zero_in-en-verb-EKPNB8-m",
      "links": [
        [
          "focus",
          "focus"
        ],
        [
          "aim",
          "aim"
        ],
        [
          "zoom in",
          "zoom in"
        ],
        [
          "center",
          "center"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0 0",
          "word": "dial in"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0 0",
          "word": "home in"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "82 12 4 3",
          "code": "nv",
          "lang": "Navajo",
          "sense": "aim precisely",
          "word": "yikʼizhdiilniiʼ"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "17 65 8 9",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "29 46 12 13",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "24 50 14 12",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs with particle (in)",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "25 58 9 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "25 44 20 11",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Zero",
          "orig": "en:Zero",
          "parents": [
            "Numbers",
            "All topics",
            "Terms by semantic function",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "We have zeroed in on the source of the problem.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "See if you can zero in on the caller.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To successfully narrow down a search (for)."
      ],
      "id": "en-zero_in-en-verb-Q0xwuIdz",
      "links": [
        [
          "successful",
          "successful"
        ],
        [
          "narrow down",
          "narrow down"
        ],
        [
          "search",
          "search"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Coordinate term: tune in"
        },
        {
          "text": "One member of the check fraud team will zero in on the fingerprints.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, Elizabeth A. Armstrong, Laura Hamilton, Paula England, “Is Hooking Up Bad for Young Women? Compared to What?”, in Contexts, volume 9, number 3, →DOI, page 23b",
          "text": "Scholarship suggests that pop culture feminists have correctly zeroed in on sexual double standards as a key source of gender inequality in sexuality.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To concentrate or focus one's attention (on a task)."
      ],
      "id": "en-zero_in-en-verb-~nPn4~UT",
      "links": [
        [
          "concentrate",
          "concentrate"
        ],
        [
          "focus",
          "focus"
        ],
        [
          "attention",
          "attention"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "At the spring sale, everyone zeroed in on the bargain clothes.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2019 May 8, Barney Ronay, The Guardian",
          "text": "With 79 minutes gone, the most celebrated team of the modern age had been reduced to bunch of mooching, stumbling yellow-shirted spectators. A Champions League season that had seemed to be zeroing in on another coronation for Lionel Messi had been wrenched, gleefully, the other way.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To converge (on)."
      ],
      "id": "en-zero_in-en-verb-MuMcbZoM",
      "links": [
        [
          "converge",
          "converge"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To converge (on)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-zero in on.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/f6/En-au-zero_in_on.ogg/En-au-zero_in_on.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/En-au-zero_in_on.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "zero in"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English phrasal verbs",
    "English phrasal verbs with particle (in)",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "English verbs",
    "en:Zero"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "The phrase possibly comes from adjusting a sighting mechanism of a firearm to minimise the discrepancy between where the sight points and where a bullet lands on a target.\nAnother possible source is the Cartesian coordinate system in mathematics. In the coordinate system, points are defined relative to an origin (point of reference) labeled O, which has an (x,y) coordinate pair of (0,0).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "zeroes in",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zeros in",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zeroing in",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zeroed in",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zeroed in",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "zero<zeroes> in",
        "pres_3sg2": "zeros in"
      },
      "expansion": "zero in (third-person singular simple present zeroes in or zeros in, present participle zeroing in, simple past and past participle zeroed in)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "dial in"
    },
    {
      "word": "home in"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The pilot zeroed in on the bunker and launched a guided missile.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "Zero in and find a watermark in the image.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1981 September 15, day@RAND-UNIX, “C debugging”, in fa.unix-wizards (Usenet)",
          "text": "When you invoke the VAX C compiler with -p for profiling it generates an assembly-language call to a profiling subroutine for which I substituted my own heap-checker, and that enabled me to zero in on a heap-violation which was caused by an array-out-of-bounds condition.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021 December 6, Andrew E. Kramer, “Companies Linked to Russian Ransomware Hide in Plain Sight”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
          "text": "The Biden administration has also zeroed in on the building, Federation Tower East, the tallest skyscraper in the Russian capital.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To focus one's aim; to zoom in and center (on something)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "focus",
          "focus"
        ],
        [
          "aim",
          "aim"
        ],
        [
          "zoom in",
          "zoom in"
        ],
        [
          "center",
          "center"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "We have zeroed in on the source of the problem.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "See if you can zero in on the caller.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To successfully narrow down a search (for)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "successful",
          "successful"
        ],
        [
          "narrow down",
          "narrow down"
        ],
        [
          "search",
          "search"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Coordinate term: tune in"
        },
        {
          "text": "One member of the check fraud team will zero in on the fingerprints.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, Elizabeth A. Armstrong, Laura Hamilton, Paula England, “Is Hooking Up Bad for Young Women? Compared to What?”, in Contexts, volume 9, number 3, →DOI, page 23b",
          "text": "Scholarship suggests that pop culture feminists have correctly zeroed in on sexual double standards as a key source of gender inequality in sexuality.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To concentrate or focus one's attention (on a task)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "concentrate",
          "concentrate"
        ],
        [
          "focus",
          "focus"
        ],
        [
          "attention",
          "attention"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "At the spring sale, everyone zeroed in on the bargain clothes.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2019 May 8, Barney Ronay, The Guardian",
          "text": "With 79 minutes gone, the most celebrated team of the modern age had been reduced to bunch of mooching, stumbling yellow-shirted spectators. A Champions League season that had seemed to be zeroing in on another coronation for Lionel Messi had been wrenched, gleefully, the other way.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To converge (on)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "converge",
          "converge"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To converge (on)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-zero in on.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/f6/En-au-zero_in_on.ogg/En-au-zero_in_on.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/En-au-zero_in_on.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "nv",
      "lang": "Navajo",
      "sense": "aim precisely",
      "word": "yikʼizhdiilniiʼ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "zero in"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-30 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (210104c and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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