tone-setter
Britishnoun
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.
Coach JJ Redick, who called Smart the team’s tone-setter on defense, commended Smart’s “care factor,” even when the Lakers fell behind by 18 in the second quarter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2025
It was a huge tone-setter for what he is doing at Manchester United.
From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2024
But a release would certainly open the possibility Denver’s defensive tone-setter has played his last game in navy and orange, if not in the NFL altogether.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 24, 2023
They could sure use their tone-setter down the stretch, providing he doesn’t get kicked out any more.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 12, 2023
Second, the franchise player stepping up to take that charge — with Beal’s injury history — acted as an important tone-setter on defense.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 25, 2022
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
