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zoom in

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zoom in

 (on someone or something)

1. . and pan in (on someone or something) to move in to a close-up picture of someone or something, using a zoom lens or a similar lens. The camera zoomed in on the love scene. The camera operator panned in slowly.

2. . to fly or move rapidly at someone or something. The hawk zoomed in on the sparrow. The angry bees zoomed in on Jane and stung her. When the door opened, the cat zoomed in.

3. . to concentrate on a matter related to someone or a problem. Let's zoom in on this matter of debt. She zoomed in and dealt quickly with the problem at hand.

See also: zoom

zoom in (on something)

to view something more closely The software lets you zoom in so you can check the details of any part of the picture.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of zoom in (to move quickly toward something)

See also: zoom

zoom in

v.

1. To simulate movement toward an object with or as if with a zoom lens: The director zoomed in on a face in the crowd. The shot zooms in through a window to a family sitting at a table.

2. To increase the apparent size of part of an image of something in order to view it more closely, as when using a magnifying lens: The camera can't zoom in far enough to capture their expressions. Zoom in on this part of the document too see whether the text lines up with the illustration.

3. To enter rapidly: The firefighting helicopter zoomed in to pick up more water.

4. zoom in on To narrow and intensify the examination of someone or something: In our presentation we zoomed in on the financial problems facing the company.

See also: zoom

zoom in

verb

See zoom in on someone/something

See also: zoom