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zone Definition

zone (zōn)

noun

  1. an encircling band, stripe, course, etc. distinct in color, texture, structure, etc. from the surrounding medium
  2. any of the five great latitudinal divisions of the earth's surface, named according to the prevailing climate: see Frigid Zone, Temperate Zone, Torrid Zone
  3. any area or region considered as separate or distinct from others because of its particular use, crops, plant or animal life, status in time of war, geological features, etc. a canal zone, cotton zone, demilitarized zone
  4. ☆
    1. any section or district in a city restricted by law for a particular use, as for homes, parks, businesses, etc.
    2. any space along a street or road restricted in a specified way, esp. by traffic regulations “no parking” zone
  5. ☆
    1. any of the numbered sections into which a postal area is divided, as in the ZIP Code system
    2. any of a series of ring-shaped areas concentric on a given point, each having a different parcel-post rate
  6. ☆ a district within which a uniform rate is charged, as by a transportation system
  7. time zone
  8. Archaic a belt or girdle
  9. Math. a part of the surface of a sphere lying between two parallel planes that intersect the figure
  10. Sports any of the areas into which a football field, basketball court, etc. is divided, as for defense

Etymology: Fr < L zona < Gr zōnē, a belt < zōnnynai, to gird < IE *yosmen- < base *yos-, to gird > OSlav pojaśǫ, to gird

transitive verb zoned, zon′·ing

  1. to mark off or divide into zones; specif.,
    1. ☆ to divide (a city, etc.) into areas determined by specific restrictions on types of construction, as into residential and business areas
    2. ☆ to limit to a certain use by designating as or placing in a zone (sense )
  2. to surround with or as with a belt or zone; encircle
  3. to mark with bands or stripes

zone Idioms

in the zone

☆

Informal in a state that produces achievement with such an extraordinary, often unlikely, degree of success that it seems to defy purely rational explanation

zone out

☆

Slang to lose awareness of one's immediate surroundings or one's cares or troubles, as variously from daydreaming, the taking of drugs, etc.

zone Synonyms

zone

n.

  1. A band

    circuit, meridian, latitude; see band 1, stripe.

  2. An area

    region, district, territory; see place 3, position 1.

    Specific zones include: Torrid, Frigid, Temperate, Variable, Canal, traffic, parking, danger, building, quiet, school; Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, Arctic Circle, Antarctic Circle.

zone Usage Examples

Possessives

no-fly: They were central to RAF bombing of the ' no-fly ' zones over Iraq and will be used in the current bombing campaign.

Converse of object

  • demilitarize: Marratech Manager can be installed on either a company network, demilitarized zone ( DMZ ) or a hosted internet server.
  • patrol: It's been more than 10 years now since the United States initiated the embargo against Iraq and started patrolling no-fly zones.
  • designate: With a limited budget up front, we were able to deploy a number of units of our choice across several designated drop zones.
  • enforce: U.S. warplanes enforcing the no-fly zone in Iraq, Ali insisted, were bombing such plants " daily - daily!
  • pedestrianize: The largest markets are held in the city center, close to the magnificent Gothic Cathedral the Dom in a pedestrianized zone.
  • declare: Nablus was declared a closed military zone about an hour ago.

Adjective modifier

  • 20mph: In Hull, where there are 20mph limit zones, it is 12 per cent.
  • nuclear-weapon-free: India will remain responsive to the expressed need for commitments to other nuclear-weapon-free zones as well.
  • coastal: The coastal zone is also a key natural resource on which livelihoods depend.
  • intertidal: Large numbers of medieval ceramics were recovered from the intertidal zone, including a significant number of imported goods.
  • temperate: In the north temperate zone only, the hour hand is pointed toward the sun.
  • 30mph: The next day he was caught driving at 41mph in a 30mph zone in Rochdale.

Modifies a noun

reconnaissance: When assigned a zone reconnaissance mission, the corps commander allows the regimental commandeer considerable freedom of action.

Noun used with modifier

  • no-fly: Meanwhile, Iraq continues to violate the no-fly zones, sources reported.
  • buffer: Buffer Zone Business properties in the buffer zone must apply for the relief.
  • comfort: We were just in a really good zone, a good comfort zone that first part of the race.
  • exclusion: In 1996 the southern air exclusion zone was amended to south of latitude 33 degrees North.
  • relegation: A series of eleven games without a win saw them plummet toward the relegation zone.
  • euro: The job of the ECB is to pursue sound policies for the euro zone.

Browse dictionary entries near zone

  1. ‹ zonation
  2. ‹ zonate
  3. ‹ zonary
  4. ‹ zonal
  5. ‹ zona pellucida
  6. ‹ Zombie or Zombie Process
  7. ‹ zombie
  8. ‹ Zomba
  9. ‹ Zolotow, Maurice
  10. ‹ Zollverein
  1. zoned ›
  2. zoning ›
  3. zoning laws ›
  4. zonk ›
  5. zonked ›
  6. zonule ›
  7. zoo ›
  8. zoo- ›
  9. zoochemistry ›
  10. zooflagellate ›