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• tone
  tone

  noun

  any sound considered with reference to its quality, pitch, strength, source, etc..
• Tone
  Tone

  noun

  (Theobald) Wolfe, 1763–98, Irish nationalist and martyr for independence.

tone

¹ American  

[tohn] / toʊn /

noun

• tones
  plural

1. any sound considered with reference to its quality, pitch, strength, source, etc..

   shrill tones.

2. quality or character of sound.

3. vocal sound; the sound made by vibrating muscular bands in the larynx.

4. a particular quality, way of sounding, modulation, or intonation of the voice as expressive of some meaning, feeling, spirit, etc..

   a tone of command.

5. an accent peculiar to a person, people, locality, etc., or a characteristic mode of sounding words in speech.

6. stress of voice on a syllable of a word.

7. Linguistics. a musical pitch or movement in pitch serving to distinguish two words otherwise composed of the same sounds, as in Chinese.

8. Music.

   1. a musical sound of definite pitch, consisting of several relatively simple constituents called partial tones, the lowest of which is called the fundamental tone and the others harmonics or overtones.

   2. an interval equivalent to two semitones; a whole tone; a whole step.

   3. any of the nine melodies or tunes to which Gregorian plainsong psalms are sung.

9. a quality of color with reference to the degree of absorption or reflection of light; a tint or shade; value.

10. that distinctive quality by which colors differ from one another in addition to their differences indicated by chroma, tint, shade; a slight modification of a given color; hue.

    green with a yellowish tone.

11. Art. the prevailing effect of harmony of color and values.

12. Physiology.

    1. the normal state of tension or responsiveness of the organs or tissues of the body.

    2. that state of the body or of an organ in which all its functions are performed with healthy vigor.

    3. normal sensitivity to stimulation.

13. a normal healthy mental condition.

14. a particular mental state or disposition; spirit, character, or tenor.

15. a particular style or manner, as of writing or speech; mood.

    the macabre tone of Poe's stories.

    Synonyms:

    temper, quality, spirit

16. prevailing character or style, as of manners, morals, or philosophical outlook.

    the liberal tone of the 1960s.

17. style, distinction, or elegance.

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verb (used with object)

• tones,
  present (3rd person singular)
• toned,
  past participle,  past
• toning
  present participle

1. to sound with a particular tone.

2. to give the proper tone to (a musical instrument).

3. to modify the tone or general coloring of.

4. to give the desired tone to (a painting, drawing, etc.).

5. Photography. to change the color of (a print), especially by chemical means.

6. to render as specified in tone or coloring.

7. to modify the tone or character of.

8. to give or restore physical or mental tone to.

verb (used without object)

• tones,
  present (3rd person singular)
• toned,
  past participle,  past
• toning
  present participle

1. to take on a particular tone; assume color or tint.

verb phrase

1. tone down

   1. to become or cause to become softened or moderated.

      The newspaper toned down its attack.

   2. Painting. to make (a color) less intense in hue; subdue.

2. tone up

   1. to give a higher or stronger tone to.

   2. to gain or cause to gain in tone or strength.

      toning up little-used muscles.

3. tone (in) with to harmonize in tone or coloring; blend.

   The painting tones with the room.

Tone ² American  

[tohn] / toʊn /

noun

1. (Theobald) Wolfe, 1763–98, Irish nationalist and martyr for independence.

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tone ¹ British  

/ təʊn /

noun

1. sound with reference to quality, pitch, or volume

2. short for tone colour

3. another word for note

4. (in acoustic analysis) a sound resulting from periodic or regular vibrations, composed either of a simple sinusoidal waveform ( pure tone ) or of several such waveforms superimposed upon one main one ( compound tone )

5. an interval of a major second; whole tone

6. Also called: Gregorian tone.  any of several plainsong melodies or other chants used in the singing of psalms

7. linguistics any of the pitch levels or pitch contours at which a syllable may be pronounced, such as high tone, falling tone, etc

8. the quality or character of a sound

   a nervous tone of voice

9. general aspect, quality, or style

   I didn't like the tone of his speech

10. high quality or style

    to lower the tone of a place

11. the quality of a given colour, as modified by mixture with white or black; shade; tint

    a tone of red

12. physiol

    1. the normal tension of a muscle at rest

    2. the natural firmness of the tissues and normal functioning of bodily organs in health

13. the overall effect of the colour values and gradations of light and dark in a picture

14. photog a colour or shade of colour, including black or grey, of a particular area on a negative or positive that can be distinguished from surrounding lighter or darker areas

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verb

1. to be of a matching or similar tone (to)

   the curtains tone with the carpet

2. (tr) to give a tone to or correct the tone of

3. photog (tr) to soften or change the colour of the tones of (a photographic image) by chemical means

4. (tr) to give greater firmness or strength to (the body or a part of the body)

5. an archaic word for intone

Tone ² British  

/ təʊn /

noun

1. ( Theobald ) Wolfe. 1763–98, Irish nationalist, who founded (1791) the Society of United Irishmen and led (1798) French military forces to Ireland. He was captured and sentenced to death but committed suicide

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Synonym Usage

See sound ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• tonelessness
  noun
• multitoned
  adjective
• nontoned
  adjective
• toneless
  adjective
• untoned
  adjective
• well-toned
  adjective
• tonelessly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tones
  plural

Participles

• toning
  present
• toned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• tone
  simple
• tones
  simple
• have toned
  perfect
• has toned
  perfect
• am toning
  progressive
• are toning
  progressive
• is toning
  progressive
• have been toning
  perfect progressive
• has been toning
  perfect progressive

Past

• toned
  simple
• had toned
  perfect
• was toning
  progressive
• were toning
  progressive
• had been toning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will tone
  simple
• will have toned
  perfect
• will be toning
  progressive
• will have been toning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of tone

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English (noun), from Latin tonus, from Greek tónos “strain, tone, mode,” literally, “a stretching,” akin to teínein “to stretch”

Explanation

A tone is the kind of sound you hear in a musical note, or in a person's voice live or in writing. A newspaper article should be objective, but a poem can bring up all kinds of emotions, depending on the tone. The word tone often refers to sound, as in music, or the feeling conveyed by the way someone speaks: "His tone of voice told me I was in trouble." It can also be used to describe the atmosphere of a place — its flavor or spirit — or the shades of meaning in a work that might reveal the larger intentions of an author. If your body has tone, its muscular structure is strong and appears well defined.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tone Tone tones toned toning

Kasten took a similar tone when asked about reports of Walter having to repay insurance companies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

While it attracted a huge audience, Verma says young people reshared it with sarcastic and mocking edits, giving it a very different tone from what Modi intended.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

But Mitchell cleverly avoids setting any tone in stone.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

"People close to Jason prior to his death had warned that the scale of the coverage and the tone... was taking its toll on Jason," he said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

But right now, her no-nonsense tone is hard to miss.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Tone Young: When they went to the beach, I was the ride.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025

“Being a competitor means putting your best on the line with no guarantees, and Tone embodied that,” Wilkins said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2025

“He wants to, you know, further his career so he’s going to back whatever horse is winning the race,” Tone said.

From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2025

A primary school in the southern city of Xiangtan drew criticism for asking parents to pay for the air conditioners - the school invited them to donate, reported Sixth Tone.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2024

Tone deaf as I may be, I sing as loud as anybody.

From "Paper Towns" by John Green

“Midnight Movement” encases Monk’s best-known melody, “’Round Midnight” within a chiming, repeated figure and a gauze of natural overtones and synth tones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

It's a lot of reflection for someone so young, and includes experimental tones which add a different layer to his usual soft singing voice.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

"Not a single blow is random," he explains as a trio of craftsmen land expert strikes that create the darker more complex tones so prized by jazz drummers.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Bright colors might pop, but traditional Craftsman homes have earth tones — according to the plan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

They were glad of a short respite and some hot food while they chatted to the caterers in their gruff polite tones.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

In recent years, China has significantly toned down its calls to denuclearise the Korean peninsula and avoided mentioning it publicly.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

While the film adaptation’s political themes are toned down, the original musical focused on the dark atmosphere of the Nazi annexation of Austria and the Von Trapp family’s struggle for freedom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026

He toned down his vitriol because he wanted me to still feel comfortable and welcome to stay.

From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026

And Teyana Taylor, who has ruled the red carpet all awards season, wore a black and white feathered sleeveless Chanel gown with a sheer panel over her toned stomach.

From Barron's ● Mar. 15, 2026

She had edited it herself and toned down his rhetoric, so that his argument—that only a unitary government could remove the divisions of regionalism—was clearer.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Done safely, Reformer Pilates can bring significant benefits, including improved posture, increased flexibility, and full-body muscle toning.

From BBC ● May 4, 2026

Still, a generation of young Chinese raised on expectations of ever-increasing prosperity is quietly protesting by toning down their career ambitions and tuning out government calls to sacrifice for the national good.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026

On Saturday, after the report by The Times was published online, City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez issued a statement about the toning down of the after-action report.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 21, 2025

Backgrounds should not be digitally blurred or eliminated by burning down or by aggressive toning.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 10, 2024

“Nope. Sure doesn’t. It looks like Majidi has lots of time to work on toning his quads.”

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

Related Words

• approach
• aspect
• character
• expression
• fashion
• feel
• humor
• manner
• mode
• mood
• nature
• note
• quality
• style
• tenor
• trend