tune out
Britishverb
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Adjust a receiver so as not to receive a signal, as in Let's tune out all this interference . [Early 1900s]
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Dissociate oneself from one's surroundings; also, disregard, ignore. For example, The average reader, used to seeing lots of color images, tunes out when confronted with big blocks of text , or Some mothers are expert at tuning out the children's whining and quarreling . [1920s] For an antonym, see tune in .
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.
Policymakers preoccupied with near-term fuel supplies may find it easier to tune out the sound of chainsaws.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
“There’s safeguards and laws in place to protect the freedom to vote,” Fisher said, “and voters should tune out the noise and continue to participate in our democracy.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
I am not sure Beto is a long-term solution for Everton's goalscoring issues, but manager David Moyes is getting a tune out of him at the moment.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026
“I mean, for people to say, ‘I can’t watch the news, I’m numb, I’m overwhelmed, I have to tune out,’ is so much privilege talking, because they can tune out, because they’re safe,” Constantino said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2026
But now that he’s Nikhil it’s easier to ignore his parents, to tune out their concerns and pleas.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
