zoom in

Meaning

This phrasal verb means to adjust a camera lens or a digital screen to make an image or text appear larger and closer. It is commonly used when discussing photography, digital maps, or reading small text on a phone or computer. The opposite is 'zoom out.'

Examples

• If you zoom in on the map, you can see the street names.

  If you zoom in on the map, you can see the street names.

• Can you zoom in a bit? I can't read the small print on the slide.

  Can you zoom in a bit? I can't read the small print on the slide.

• The camera zoomed in on the actor's face to show his reaction.

  The camera zoomed in on the actor's face to show his reaction.

• You can pinch the screen to zoom in on the photo.

  You can pinch the screen to zoom in on the photo.

• I had to zoom in to see the details of the painting.

  I had to zoom in to see the details of the painting.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ Please zoom the picture inside.

  ✓ Please zoom in on the picture.

  The correct particle is 'in' (often followed by the preposition 'on'), not 'inside'.

• ✗ I zoomed on the map.

  ✓ I zoomed in on the map.

  You cannot omit 'in' when you want to make the image larger; 'zoom in' is the complete phrasal verb.

Related Expressions

Practice

• The text is too small, so I need to ___.

  💡 Make the digital image larger.

  Show answer

  zoom in

• If you ___ on the background, you can see a small dog.

  💡 Focus closer on a specific part of the photo.

  Show answer

  zoom in