plural noun
Areas marked or used for particular purposes, or areas with special rules.
Please wait in the designated zones.
The construction crew marked off the work zones.
American English
How to pronounce zones
noun · verbB1Common word
ZOHNZ
/zoʊnz/
One syllable.
Form of zone
As a verb, zones is mainly used in discussions of land use and city planning.
Areas marked or used for particular purposes, or areas with special rules.
Practice out loudMeanings & examples
plural noun
Large areas that share a particular time, climate, or other condition.
The map shows different time zones.
These climate zones receive very little rain.
third-person singular verb
Divides land into areas and sets rules for what people may build or do there.
The city zones the land for apartments.
The county zones this area for commercial use.
Useful expressions
To be completely focused and performing very well.
The team was in the zone during the final.
To stop paying attention for a short time, often because you are tired or bored.
I zoned out during the long meeting.
A situation in which you feel safe because it is familiar.
Starting a new job pushed me out of my comfort zone.
Related words & forms
Before -ing, zone becomes zoning: the final e is dropped and the n is doubled.