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• tune-up
  tune-up

  noun

  an adjustment, as of a motor, to improve working order or condition.
• tune up
  tune up

  verb

  to adjust (a musical instrument) to a particular pitch, esp a standard one

tune-up

American  

[toon-uhp, tyoon-] / ˈtunˌʌp, ˈtjun- /

noun

1. an adjustment, as of a motor, to improve working order or condition.

   The car needs a tune-up badly.

2. Informal. a preparatory activity or warm-up, as before a contest or game.

   The track meet served as a tune-up for the Olympics.

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tune up British  

verb

1. to adjust (a musical instrument) to a particular pitch, esp a standard one

2. (esp of an orchestra or other instrumental ensemble) to tune (instruments) to a common pitch

3. (tr) to adjust (an engine) in (a car, etc) to improve performance

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noun

1. adjustments made to an engine to improve its performance

tune up Idioms  

1. Adjust machinery so it is in proper condition, as in I took the car in to be tuned up. [Early 1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of tune-up

First recorded in 1945–50; noun use of verb phrase tune up

Explanation

A tune-up is a procedure that's done periodically to keep a car running well. You might want to take your car in for a tune-up before leaving on a cross-country road trip. A tune-up is typically a series of small repairs and adjustments to a car's engine — not so much to fix something that's broken but to help the car run more efficiently or to keep it running longer. Sometimes tune-up is also used in the context of sports or exercise: "The volleyball team had one last tune-up before the big match." Tune-up comes from the "musical adjustment" meaning of tune.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tune-up tune up

Here are five takeaways from the Chargers’ final tune-up before 53-man rosters must be finalized Sunday:

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

He estimates the tune-up can help a household save up to 15% on an electric bill, “especially if coils are dirty and airflow is restricted,” Rogers said.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

He even ventured into Packers enemy territory for the final U.S. tune-up game against Germany at Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

The two teams now head into the fifth match on Saturday, the final tune-up ahead of the T20 World Cup starting February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.

From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026

When he was back on his feet, Coach O put a hand on his shoulder and said, “You can go 182 for this meet. Call it a tune-up for Herrera.”

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

Only three of the top 10 players participated in the Queen’s Club tune up tournament in London, compared to six playing last week in Berlin in a contest of similar scale.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

The opportunity to tune up under lights will be largely passed in the name of unity and morale.

From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2025

Flutes and drums tune up as spectators begin to line the curbs and balconies along the street.

From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2025

"We're nearing a point where we can use these maps to design therapies that can tune up the T cell function for cancer treatments or tune it down to treat autoimmune disease."

From Science Daily ● Dec. 13, 2023

It was too late to tune up for my performance.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez