zone

noun zones

1. archaic Each of the five regions of the earth's surface into which it was divided by climatic differences, namely the torrid zone (between the tropics), two temperate zones (between the tropics and the polar circles), and two frigid zones (within the polar circles). And as two Zones doe cut the Heaven upon the righter side, / And other twaine upon the left likewise the same devide, / The middle in outragious heat exceeding all the rest: / Even so likewise through great foresight to God it seemed best, / The earth encluded in the same should so devided bee […].
2. Any given region or area of the world.
3. A given area distinguished on the basis of a particular characteristic, use, restriction, etc. There is a no-smoking zone that extends 25 feet outside of each entrance.

   Similar: area, belt, district, region, section, sector, sphere, territory

4. broadly A restricted category or virtual place. The discussion was veering off into a danger zone.
5. A band or area of growth encircling anything. a zone of evergreens on a mountain
6. A band or stripe extending around a body.
7. A series of planes having mutually parallel intersections.
8. informal The strike zone. That pitch was low and away, just outside the zone.
9. Every of the three parts of an ice rink, divided by two blue lines. Players are off side, if they enter the attacking zone before the puck.
10. A semicircular area in front of each goal. The defender playing at the top of the zone is nine to fourteen metres out from the goal line.

    Similar: crease

11. figuratively A mental state of high concentration and performance; see: in the zone. I just got in the zone late in the game: everything was going in.
12. A defensive scheme where defenders guard a particular area of the court or field, as opposed to a particular opposing player.
13. That collection of a domain's DNS resource records, the domain and its subdomains, that are not delegated to another authority.
14. dated A logical group of network devices on AppleTalk (an obsolete networking protocol).
15. literary A belt or girdle. 17th c, John Dryden, 2005, Pygmalion and the Statue, Paul Hammond, David Hopkins (editors), The Poems of John Dryden: Volume Five: 1697-1700, page 263, Her tapered fingers too with rings are graced, / And an embroidered zone surrounds her slender waist.
16. The curved surface of a frustum of a sphere, the portion of surface of a sphere delimited by parallel planes. 1835, Charles Davies, David Brewster (editors and translators), Adrien-Marie Legendre, Elements of Geometry and Trigonometry, [1794, Eléments de géométrie], page 293, To find the surface of a spherical zone. Rule.—Multiply the altitude of the zone by the circumference of a great circle of the sphere
17. broadly A frustum of a sphere.
18. A circuit; a circumference. And we have yet large day; for scarce the sun / Hath finish'd half his journey, and scarce begins / His other half in the great zone of heaven.

verb zones · zoning · zoned

1. transitive To divide into or assign to sections or areas. Please zone off our staging area, a section for each group.
2. transitive To define the property use classification of (an area). This area was zoned for industrial use.
3. intransitive, slang To enter a daydream state temporarily, for instance as a result of boredom, fatigue, or intoxication; to doze off. I must have zoned while he was giving us the directions.

   Similar: zone out

4. archaic, poetic, transitive To girdle or encircle.
5. To assign to a restricted category. We've zoned each other as friends; we'll never be anything more.

Similar: doze off