autotune

British

/ ˈɔːtəʊˌtjuːn /

noun

a software package that automatically manipulates a recording of a vocal track until it is in tune regardless of whether or not the original performance was in tune

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The two Houston-raised rappers teamed up on the “Can’t Say,” an atmospheric earworm powered by a moody trap beat and a surplus of stylistic autotune.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026

Its title track is credited as the first use of autotune — though, as she recalls, it was termed a “pitch machine” at the time.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 20, 2023

There are a couple of false starts: A drum sample isn't firing and an autotune effect is misbehaving.

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2023

The song itself is the expected wash of autotune.

From The Guardian • Apr. 1, 2022

Frank Ocean croons to himself in autotune and releases music only rarely.

From New York Times • Jan. 19, 2021

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023