zero in

English

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zero in

Where it comes from

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).

verb zeroes in · zeros in · zeroing in · zeroed in

  1. To focus one's aim; to zoom in and center (on something). The pilot zeroed in on the bunker and launched a guided missile.
  2. To successfully narrow down a search (for). We have zeroed in on the source of the problem.
  3. To concentrate or focus one's attention (on a task). One member of the check fraud team will zero in on the fingerprints.
  4. idiomatic To converge (on). At the spring sale, everyone zeroed in on the bargain clothes.

Translations

Every language

verb concentrate or focus

Españolconcentrarse en, enfocarse en, centrarse en

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Cite this
MLA

"zero in." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/zero%20in. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

zero in. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/zero%20in

Chicago

"zero in." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/zero%20in.

BibTeX
@misc{zero_in_2026,
  title = {zero in},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/zero%20in},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}