overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

zone.

Each of the five regions of the earth's surface into which it was divided by climatic differences, namely the torrid zone (between the tropics), two temperate zones (between the tropics and the polar circles), and two frigid zones (within the polar circles).

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/zoʊn/General-American/zəʊn/Received-Pronunciation
  1. Each of the five regions of the earth's surface into which it was divided by climatic differences, namely the torrid zone (between the tropics), two temperate zones (between the tropics and the polar circles), and two frigid zones (within the polar circles).

    archaic
  2. Any given region or area of the world.

  3. A given area distinguished on the basis of a particular characteristic, use, restriction, etc.

    There is a no-smoking zone that extends 25 feet outside of each entrance.
    The white zone is for loading and unloading only.
  4. A restricted category or virtual place.

    broadly
    The discussion was veering off into a danger zone.
  5. A band or area of growth encircling anything.

    a zone of evergreens on a mountain
    the zone of animal or vegetable life in the ocean around an island or a continent
  6. A band or stripe extending around a body.

  7. A series of planes having mutually parallel intersections.

  8. The strike zone.

    informal
    That pitch was low and away, just outside the zone.
  9. Every of the three parts of an ice rink, divided by two blue lines.

    Players are off side, if they enter the attacking zone before the puck.
  10. A semicircular area in front of each goal.

  11. A mental state of high concentration and performance; see: in the zone.

    figuratively
    I just got in the zone late in the game: everything was going in.
  12. A defensive scheme where defenders guard a particular area of the court or field, as opposed to a particular opposing player.

  13. That collection of a domain's DNS resource records, the domain and its subdomains, that are not delegated to another authority.

  14. A logical group of network devices on AppleTalk (an obsolete networking protocol).

    dated
  15. A belt or girdle.

    literary
  16. The curved surface of a frustum of a sphere, the portion of surface of a sphere delimited by parallel planes.

  17. A frustum of a sphere.

    broadly
  18. A circuit; a circumference.

Where this word comes from

From Latin zōna, from Ancient Greek ζώνη (zṓnē, “girdle, belt”). Doublet of zona.

verb/zoʊn/General-American/zəʊn/Received-Pronunciation
  1. To divide into or assign to sections or areas.

    transitive
    Please zone off our staging area, a section for each group.
  2. To define the property use classification of (an area).

    transitive
    This area was zoned for industrial use.
  3. To enter a daydream state temporarily, for instance as a result of boredom, fatigue, or intoxication; to doze off.

    intransitive · slang
    I must have zoned while he was giving us the directions.
  4. To girdle or encircle.

    archaic · poetic · transitive
  5. To assign to a restricted category.

    We've zoned each other as friends; we'll never be anything more.
Where this word comes from

From Latin zōna, from Ancient Greek ζώνη (zṓnē, “girdle, belt”). Doublet of zona.

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

zone has 4 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

zone studiozone workshello, zone

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.