any continuous area that differs in some respect, or is distinguished for some purpose, from adjoining areas, or within which certain distinctive circumstances exist or are established: The decisions were formulated in a zone of uncertainty. The temperature lies outside the danger zone.
Geography. any of five great divisions of the earth's surface, bounded by lines parallel to the equator and named according to the prevailing temperature.Compare North Frigid Zone, North Temperate Zone, South Frigid Zone, South Temperate Zone, Torrid Zone.
Biogeography. an area characterized by a particular set of organisms, whose presence is determined by environmental conditions, as an altitudinal belt on a mountain.
Geology. a horizon.
Geometry. a part of the surface of a sphere included between two parallel planes.
a specific district, area, etc., within which a uniform charge is made for transportation, mail delivery, or other service.
the total number of available railroad terminals within a given circumference around a given shipping center.
an area or district in a city or town under special restrictions as to the type, size, purpose, etc., of existing or proposed buildings.
time zone.
Also called postal delivery zone.(in the U.S. postal system) any of the numbered districts into which a city or metropolitan area was formerly divided for expediting the sorting and delivery of mail.
Sports. a particular portion of a playing area: The wing was trapped with the puck in his own defensive zone.
the zone,Informal. a state of intense concentration and focus that greatly improves a person's performance in a physical or mental activity, especially in sports: He has a great golf swing, but he needs to be in the zone.
Archaic. a girdle or belt; cincture.
verb (used with object),zoned,zon·ing.
to mark with zones or bands.
to divide into zones, tracts, areas, etc., as according to existing characteristics or as distinguished for some purpose.
to divide (a city, town, neighborhood, etc.) into areas subject to special restrictions on any existing or proposed buildings.
to encircle or surround with a zone, girdle, belt, or the like.
verb (used without object),zoned,zon·ing.
to be formed into zones.
Verb Phrases
zone out,Informal. to become inattentive or dazed: I must have zoned out toward the end of the lecture.
Origin of zone
First recorded in 1490–1500; from Latin zōna, from Greek zṓnē “belt”
SYNONYMS FOR zone
1 region.
17 gird, band.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR zone ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for zone
1. See belt.
OTHER WORDS FROM zone
zoneless,adjectivein·ter·zone,nounmis·zone,verb,mis·zoned,mis·zon·ing.un·zone,verb (used with object),un·zoned,un·zon·ing.
Words nearby zone
zona reticularis, zonate, zona tecta, zonation, Zond, zone, zone defense, zone melting, zone of accumulation, zone of avoidance, zone of fire
Across global fire zones, “One common thread is that Indigenous stewardship is something that we can learn from,” said Greenpeace’s Brindis.
What wildfires in Brazil, Siberia, and the US West have in common|Lili Pike|September 17, 2020|Vox
In other words, larger dead zones would have made for smaller life zones.
Dawn of the Heliocene - Issue 90: Something Green|Summer Praetorius|September 16, 2020|Nautilus
She found some zones of closely spaced wide dark bands in the tusks that might indicate stress and seasons of torpor.
Ancient Lystrosaurus tusks may show the oldest signs of a hibernation-like state|Susan Milius|September 16, 2020|Science News
I sat down as you do when you go to a war zone, and I had to write a letter to … it literally says “Just in case.”
Pete Buttigieg Says Dems Did Not Coordinate to Seal Biden’s Primary Win|Nick Fouriezos|September 9, 2020|Ozy
As embryos, they still had four zones of germline gene expression, but the subsets of genes expressed in each zone had changed.
How Two Became One: Origins of a Mysterious Symbiosis Found|Viviane Callier|September 9, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Other shows have allowed gender and inequality to inspire some episodes: The Twilight Zone, for example.
Science-Fiction TV Finds a New Muse: Feminism|David Levesley|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The original Twilight Zone is renowned for the acting careers it revived or jump started.
How a War-Weary Vet Created ‘The Twilight Zone’|Rich Goldstein|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On rival CBS, which had been the original home of The Twilight Zone, the long running Murder, She Wrote premiered in 1984.
How a War-Weary Vet Created ‘The Twilight Zone’|Rich Goldstein|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Twilight Zone would see another incarnation at the dawn of the 21st century, with Forest Whitaker as host.
How a War-Weary Vet Created ‘The Twilight Zone’|Rich Goldstein|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The trend led to a resurgence of anthology television, and renewed interest in The Twilight Zone.
How a War-Weary Vet Created ‘The Twilight Zone’|Rich Goldstein|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
From there leads a zone 20 sea miles wide west of 22 degrees 30 minutes eastern longitude into Greek territorial waters.
Kelly Miller's History of the World War for Human Rights|Kelly Miller
The people had been driven out from the zone of fire, and had left their possessions to the mercy of the invaders.
The Invasion|William Le Queux
Zone of flow, zone of flow and fracture, and zone of fracture.
The Elements of Geology|William Harmon Norton
Absolutely our only chance is to control that zone—it's the only thing they haven't got.
Skylark Three|Edward Elmer Smith
The vine, which bears greater winter cold, distinguishes the second zone.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 1|Various
British Dictionary definitions for zone
zone
/ (zəʊn) /
noun
a region, area, or section characterized by some distinctive feature or quality
a sphere of thought, disagreement, argument, etc
an area subject to a particular political, military, or government function, use, or jurisdictiona demilitarized zone
(often capital)geographyone of the divisions of the earth's surface, esp divided into latitudinal belts according to temperatureSee Torrid Zone, Frigid Zone, Temperate Zone
geologya distinctive layer or region of rock, characterized by particular fossils (zone fossils), metamorphism, structural deformity, etc
ecologyan area, esp a belt of land, having a particular flora and fauna determined by the prevailing environmental conditions
mathsa portion of a sphere between two parallel planes intersecting the sphere
sport
a mental state that enables a competitor to perform to the best of his or her abilityHingis is in the zone at the moment
(modifier)of or relating to competitive performance that depends on the mood or state of mind of the participanta zone player
archaic, orliterarya girdle or belt
NZa section on a transport route; fare stage
NZa catchment area for pupils for a specific school
in the zone See zone (def. 8)
verb(tr)
to divide into zones, as for different use, jurisdiction, activities, etc
to designate as a zone
to mark with or divide into zones
NZto establish (an area) as a zone for a specific school
Derived forms of zone
zoning, noun
Word Origin for zone
C15: from Latin zōna girdle, climatic zone, from Greek zōnē
Any of the five regions of the surface of the Earth that are loosely divided according to prevailing climate and latitude, including the Torrid Zone, the North and South Temperate zones, and the North and South Frigid zones.
EcologyAn area characterized by distinct physical conditions and populated by communities of certain kinds of organisms.
MathematicsA portion of a sphere bounded by the intersections of two parallel planes with the sphere.
AnatomyAn area or a region distinguished from adjacent parts by a distinctive feature or characteristic.
GeologyA region or stratum distinguished by composition or content.