homing

[ hoh-ming ]

adjective

1. capable of returning home, usually over a great distance:

   We saw the homing birds at dusk.

2. guiding or directing homeward or to a destination, especially by mechanical means:

   the homing instinct; a homing beacon.

homing

/ ˈhəʊmɪŋ /

noun

1. zoology relating to the ability to return home after travelling great distances

   homing instinct

2. (of an aircraft, a missile, etc) capable of guiding itself onto a target or to a specified point

Word History and Origins

Origin of homing¹

First recorded in 1860–65; home + -ing ²

Example Sentences

He said he’s lived on this street so long he wouldn’t know where else to go; he’d be like a homing pigeon, throw him in the sky and he’d wheel back.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet a growing number of cities around the world are increasingly homing in on ways to strengthen their night-time economy.

From BBC

The team has engineered platelet-like particles capable of traveling through the bloodstream and then homing to the site of tissue damage, where they augment the clotting process and then support subsequent wound healing.

From Science Daily

At last, the bell rang and the students flew out of the door like a flock of homing pigeons in a movie Ms. Mac showed us.

From Literature

Opening arguments began in former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial on Monday, with much of the news media coverage homing in on as many details as possible about the proceedings.

From New York Times