zonehttp://www.oed.com/dictionary/zone_v%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_usezone, v.
First published 1921; not fully revised

zoneverb

  1. 1.
    1795–
    transitive. To furnish with, or surround like, a zone or girdle; to gird, encircle.
    1. 1795
      Her population..had zoned every hill with vines and with olive-trees.
      Monthly Review December 542
    2. 1795
      Our road zoned the midway of the Alpine steeps which overhung it.
      A. Seward, Letters (1811) vol. IV. 105
    3. 1813
      Art she invokes to Nature's aid, Her vest to zone, her locks to braid.
      W. Scott, Bridal of Triermain ii. iv. 59
    4. 1818
      I could hear he lov'd Some fair immortal, and that his embrace Had zoned her through the night.
      J. Keats, Endymion ii. 80
    5. 1853
      The southeastern horizon is zoned with a mellow uniform band of light.
      E. K. Kane, U.S. Grinnell Expedition (1856) xxviii. 237
  2. 2.
    1792–
    Natural History. To mark with zones, rings, or bands of colour. (Only in past participle)
    1. 1792
      Auricularia papyrina... Annual, membranaceous, soft, zoned.
      W. Withering, British Plants (ed. 2) vol. III. 433
    2. 1854
      Egyptian Jasper is zoned with colors, and forms nodules.
      J. D. Dana, Mineralogy (ed. 4) vol. II. 148
    3. 1871
      A variety of the common pigeon with the wing-bars symmetrically zoned with three bright shades.
      C. Darwin, Descent of Man vol. II. xiv. 131
  3. 3.
    1904–
    Geology, etc. To divide into zones; to distribute or arrange in zones: see zone n. 7.
    1. 1904
      The Ordovician and Silurian rocks have been zoned by means of their graptolites.
      Edinburgh Review January 222
  4. 4.
    1916–
    Town Planning. To divide (a city, land, etc.) into areas subject to particular planning restrictions; to designate (a specific area) for use or development in this manner. Occasionally intransitive. Also (U.S.) const. out, to forbid (the siting of an enterprise) in a given area. Originally U.S.
    1. 1916
      The plan to zone the city and regulate the height of buildings.
      New York Times 4 February 17/2
    2. 1919
      The question of ‘zoning’ the metropolitan area, or separating the city into districts, in order that regulations may be applied to control the erection of shops and factories near residential sites, has recently been occupying the attention of the Melbourne City Council.
      Argus (Melbourne) 28 August 6
    3. 1934
      There is practically no area around London that is zoned in a reasonable manner.
      W. H. Heath in E. Betham, House Building 1934–6 xviii. 180
    4. 1939
      All the frontage of main streets was placed in business zones although..only a small fraction of areas so zoned can ever be used for that purpose.
      H. M. Lewis, City Planning xvi. 169
    5. 1967
      Planners..are concerned that a community will be thoughtfully zoned overall.
      Boston Sunday Herald 26 March i. 9/4
    6. 1971
      There is no guarantee that land zoned for housing will be released by the landowners.
      P. Gresswell, Environment 267
    7. 1975
      A law that would ‘zone out’ massage parlors from the Times Square area on the principle that their proliferation is not sound community planning.
      New York Times 16 October 29/1
    8. 1976
      When a municipality zones for industry and commerce for local tax benefits..it..must zone to permit adequate housing within the means of the employes involved in such uses.
      National Observer (U.S.) 14 August 7/2
    9. 1977
      At that time, which was before horse racing was zoned out of the city, the track was on Stony Island Avenue near 63rd Street.
      Chicago Tribune Magazine 2 October 8/2
    10. 1978
      The land, they say, is zoned for agribusiness.
      J. Updike, Coup (1979) vii. 274
  5. 5.
    1942–
    To restrict the distribution of (a commodity) to a designated area; used spec. concerning the allocation of foodstuffs in the war of 1939–45.
    1. 1942
      We have arranged that the deliveries of bread shall be zoned.
      Hansard Lords 3 June 103
    2. 1945
      Cyder, like many other things, is now zoned to save transport and labour.
      Daily Herald 31 August 2/1 (advertisement)
    3. 1952
      The Group scheme of the National Film Finance Corporation has been announced. This ‘zoned’ a considerable proportion of British production.
      Annual Register 1951 394

Additional sense (2006)

  1. 1958–
    intransitive. colloquial. to zone in: to head directly for something; to focus or concentrate especially on something. Chiefly with on, to. Cf. home v. 5a, hone v.4
    1. 1958
      We were all getting breakfast..and, bang, another one [sc. hurricane] zoned in.
      Listener 18 September 416/2
    2. 1972
      He could not hope to zone in even on the secondary target.
      R. Crawford, Whip Hand i. v. 25
    3. 1977
      He talks about ‘zoning in’ on things.
      New York Times 29 January 13
    4. 1990
      Videos are also zoning in on hair color.
      Savvy Woman May 52/1
    5. 2004
      Zoning in to the jet-set lifestyle should leave you sneering about the boringness of the rich.
      Independent 14 September 3/4

Additional sense (2002)

  1. 1970–
    intransitive. U.S. slang. [Probably after zoned adj.] With out. To relax, to switch off, to detach oneself mentally from one's surroundings; (also) to lose concentration or consciousness, to fall asleep.
    1. 1970
      It is time for me to go back to the solitude of my record player and listen to my four copies of Fun House... I can just lay there and zone out.
      ‘N. Stoogeling’ in J. Eisen, Twenty-minute Fandangos & Forever Changes (1971) 199
    2. 1982
      The highlight of my week was to go..to Ranger games. It had nothing to do with my profession. I could just sit there and zone out.
      New York Times 28 November v. 5/1
    3. 1989
      I tried to start up a conversation with a woman on a nearby machine, but she appeared to have zoned out.
      New York Woman November 84/2
    4. 1990
      I'm bushed. I'm beat. I need an hour or so to zone out, to rest myself in this deluxe suite.
      Quarterly (U.S.) Winter 83
    5. 2000
      ‘The idea was that kids would sit, stare at the [television] screen, and zone out,’ said Elizabeth Lorch, a psychologist at Amherst College.
      M. Gladwell, Tipping Point 100

Additional sense (2019)

  1. 1981–
    transitive. Nigerian English. To allocate a nomination for (a political office) to a candidate from a particular region, under the zoning system: see zoning n. Additions. Also with the candidate as object of the verb. Usually in passive.
    Frequently with to, indicating the region to which a nomination is allocated.
    1. 1981
      At the National Level, the following officers shall be zoned; namely, the Office of the National Chairman, the President, the Vice-President, President and Deputy President of the Senate, National Secretary, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
      C. Okadigbo, Mission of NPN 98
    2. 1988
      The local..ministerial candidate..was already zoned to a particular areal community in that state.
      S. E. Oyovbaire in O. Oyediran, Survey Nigerian Affairs 1978–9 vol. I. vii. 89
    3. 2019
      The chairmanship position was zoned to Osun-Ogbomoso.
      Nigerian Tribune (Nexis) 14 February

zone, v. was first published in 1921; not fully revised.

zone, v. was last modified in December 2024.