fine-tune

American  

[fahyn-toon, -tyoon] / ˈfaɪnˈtun, -ˈtjun /

verb (used with object)

fine-tunes, present (3rd person singular) fine-tuned, past participle, past fine-tuning present participle

1. to tune (a radio or television receiver) to produce the optimum reception for the desired station or channel by adjusting a control knob or bar.

2. tune.

3. to make minor adjustments in so as to produce stability, improvement, or the precise results desired.

   to fine-tune the nation's economy.

---

fine-tune British  

verb

1. (tr) to make fine adjustments to (something) in order to obtain optimum performance

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• fine-tuner
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• fine-tuning
  present
• fine-tuned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• fine-tune
  simple
• fine-tunes
  simple
• have fine-tuned
  perfect
• has fine-tuned
  perfect
• am fine-tuning
  progressive
• are fine-tuning
  progressive
• is fine-tuning
  progressive
• have been fine-tuning
  perfect progressive
• has been fine-tuning
  perfect progressive

Past

• fine-tuned
  simple
• had fine-tuned
  perfect
• was fine-tuning
  progressive
• were fine-tuning
  progressive
• had been fine-tuning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will fine-tune
  simple
• will have fine-tuned
  perfect
• will be fine-tuning
  progressive
• will have been fine-tuning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of fine-tune

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fine-tune fine-tunes fine-tuned fine-tuning

But its longtime focus on using data and analytics to fine-tune and reset its pricing, and on improving its own systems, helped it rebound faster than others, analysts said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

"GLM-5.2 is free to download, fine-tune, and run on an enterprise's own servers, putting pricing pressure on frontier labs at the same time that access looks shaky," AI analyst Andrew Curran noted.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

Either way, the move by Amazon comes as retailers, travel apps and restaurants continue to fine-tune their AI shopping assistants — or go back to the drawing board altogether.

From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026

DeMaio filed for the ballot initiative in 2021 and 2023, but did not move forward with the signature collection process in order to fine-tune the ballot language.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026

We conducted focus groups to test-market our branding for the project, enlisting the pro bono help of PR professionals to fine-tune the message.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

"It's like a nutrient that fine-tunes how your body reads your genes," she said.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 7, 2026

It fine-tunes the second A.I. model using a “constitution” curated by the company’s researchers.

From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2024

OpenAI fine-tunes its models based on user interactions with its chatbots.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 19, 2023

Lazio, meanwhile, is on the upswing as Sarri’s squad fine-tunes his intricate passing schemes.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 6, 2022

"Tell me what you buy and I'll tell you who you are"-mug shots of all of us are taken continuously, by extremely inventive digital devices, while the market fine-tunes us.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai

The Bureau of Labor Statistics fine-tuned its “birth-death model” in January, making initially reported job numbers less predictable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026

And through his new scientific network, he met a professor at the University of Queensland able to administer the fine-tuned treatment.

From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026

We believe fox8 was only the tip of the iceberg because better coders can filter out self-revealing posts or use open-source AI models fine-tuned to remove ethical guardrails.

From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2026

He is known to invest over $1.5 million annually for a comprehensive approach to keeping his body fine-tuned.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2026

I didn’t just listen, I fine-tuned my listener.

From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg

Earlier this week, AI lab Thinking Machines announced its latest Inkling model, which used outputs generated by Kimi K2.5 during the fine-tuning phase.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

He kept fine-tuning his delivery and adjusting his pitch mix, right through a rough patch in late May, and into a consistent June.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

It was a poor percentage given the meticulous planning, expenses spared and fine-tuning details applied to this tournament.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

Nearly two and a half years of fine-tuning passed between publication of a draft rule and the final product.

From Salon ● May 10, 2026

Yes, there were mistakes, some fine-tuning needed, but it was perfectly legible, and, more important, perfectly understandable.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

Related Words

• adjust
• calibrate
• tweak