zone

The word "zone" is used when referring to areas, large or small.

• She parked in the no-parking zone and her car was towed away.
• A receiver caught the ball in the end zone. (This area of the field in American football is where points are scored.)
• Which time zone do you live in? I live in the central time zone in the United States.
• A special zone was created for people who wanted to protest the government.
• A violent tornado ripped through the city and afterwards it looked like a war zone.*
• The company broke the zoning laws and had to pay a fine to the city. (The word "zoning" is an adjective.)

Points are scored when the ball reaches the end zone.

When the word "zone" is a verb, it refers to areas designated for certain purposes:

• That area is zoned for commercial use only. People can’t live there.
• How is this area zoned?
• The city zoned the neighborhood to allow both residential and commercial activity to coexist.

*war zone: an area where a war or a battle is fought.

Click here to learn more words.

This page was first published on September 26, 2013. It was updated on May 9, 2016.