Jump To:

• 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.

---

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

---

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]

---

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

For the record, Dorgu and Harry Maguire were United's men on the scoresheet in this latest tune-up.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 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

Just getting out there is an accomplishment—this feels like a tune-up for a U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

Thanks to tune-up efforts from Walker, many of the guitars headed to auction are fully operational in the hopes that their buyers can do the same.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026

And even though I remind her when I think about it, the car is way overdue for an oil change and a tune-up.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

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

Tuchel will rightly say Uruguay and Japan are the tough tests England required to tune up for the World Cup, but the burning question is still the same and has not been answered.

From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026

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