tune

[toon, tyoon]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tune ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a succession of musical sounds forming an air or melody, with or without the harmony accompanying it.

a musical setting of a hymn, poem, psalm, etc., usually in four-part harmony.

the state of being in the proper pitch: to be in tune.

agreement in pitch; unison; harmony.

proper adjustment, as of radio instruments or circuits with respect to frequency.

harmonious relationship; accord; agreement.

Archaic. frame of mind; mood.

Obsolete. a tone or sound.

verb (used with object), tuned, tun·ing.

to adjust (a musical instrument) to a correct or given standard of pitch (often followed by up).

to adapt (the voice, song, etc.) to a particular tone, to the expression of a particular feeling, or the like.

to bring (someone or something) into harmony.

to adjust (a motor, mechanism, or the like) for proper functioning.

Radio and Television.

to adjust (a circuit, frequency, or the like) so as to bring it into resonance with another circuit, a given frequency, or the like.
to adjust (a receiving apparatus) so as to make it compatible in frequency with a transmitting apparatus whose signals are to be received.
to adjust (a receiving apparatus) so as to receive the signals of a particular transmitting station.

to put into or cause to be in a receptive condition, mood, etc.; bring into harmony or agreement.

Archaic.

to utter, sound, or express musically.
to play upon (a lyre).

verb (used without object), tuned, tun·ing.

to put a musical instrument in tune (often followed by up).

to give forth a musical sound.

to be in harmony or accord; become responsive.

Verb Phrases

tune in, to adjust a radio or television set so as to receive (signals, a particular station, etc.).

tune out,

to adjust a radio or television set so as to stop or avoid receiving (a station or channel).
Slang.to stop paying attention to a person, situation, etc.

tune up,

to cause a group of musical instruments to be brought to the same pitch.
to begin to sing.
to bring into proper operating order, as a motor: Before starting on our trip we should have the car tuned up.

Idioms

call the tune, to decide matters of policy; control: He was technically running the business, but his father still called the tune.

change one's tune, to reverse one's views; change one's mind: She changed her tune about children when she married and had her own.

sing a different tune, to be forced to change one's ways, attitude, behavior, etc.: He will sing a different tune when he has to earn his own money.

to the tune of, Informal. in or about the amount of: In order to expand, they will need capital to the tune of six million dollars.

Origin of tune

1350–1400; Middle English (noun); unexplained variant of tone

Related formsmis·tune, verb, mis·tuned, mis·tun·ing.non·tuned, adjectivere·tune, verb (used with object), re·tuned, re·tun·ing.un·der·tune, nounun·der·tune, verb (used with object), un·der·tuned, un·der·tun·ing.un·tuned, adjectivewell-tuned, adjective

Synonyms for tune

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tune ON THESAURUS.COM

14. harmonize, balance. 17. chime.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for tuned

accommodate, adapt, adjust, attune, conform, coordinate, dial, fix, harmonize, integrate, modulate, pitch, proportion, reconcile, regulate, set, string, tighten

Examples from the Web for tuned

Contemporary Examples of tuned

The guitar is tuned to E, and an Eminor chord on a guitar just rings and rings forever.
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing.
Michael Tomasky
December 24, 2014
One person who tuned into my story was Matt Creed, the director of Lily.
Blogger Shares and Shames Cancer in ‘Lily’
Amy Grantham
December 9, 2014
Americans who previously tuned out the long, bloody civil war are now looking to learn more.
The Kardashian Look-Alike Trolling for Assad
Noah Shachtman, Michael Kennedy
October 17, 2014
But now he has reached the point where America has tuned out and turned off.
Hillary Clinton Wants Bill to Lift Her Up—but Obama Will Drag Her Down
Lloyd Green
June 23, 2014
Only one in twenty had seen a full episode of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, another had tuned in for a rose ceremony.
It’s About Damn Time for a Gay ‘Bachelor’
Brandy Zadrozny
May 27, 2014

Historical Examples of tuned

For this the teacher brought out his old fiddle and tuned it.
Rico and Wiseli
Johanna Spyri
Before Paul arrived she had, as it were, been tuned up into his key.
Howards End
E. M. Forster
Mendelssohn sat at the piano and David tuned his instrument.
A Day with Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
George Sampson
The radio receiver was tuned to the wave-length given in the log.
The Affair of the Brains
Anthony Gilmore
Told 'em to fill it all round, and see that it was tuned up to the last notch.
The Million-Dollar Suitcase
Alice MacGowan

British Dictionary definitions for tuned

tune

noun

a melody, esp one for which harmony is not essential

the most important part in a musical texturethe cello has the tune at that point

the condition of producing accurately pitched notes, intervals, etc (esp in the phrases in tune, out of tune)he can't sing in tune

accurate correspondence of pitch and intonation between instruments (esp in the phrases in tune, out of tune)the violin is not in tune with the piano

the correct adjustment of a radio, television, or some other electronic circuit with respect to the required frequency (esp in the phrases in tune, out of tune)

a frame of mind; disposition or mood

obsolete a musical sound; note

call the tune to be in control of the proceedings

change one's tune, sing another tune or sing another a different tune to alter one's attitude or tone of speech

to the tune of informal to the amount or extent ofcosts to the tune of a hundred pounds

verb

to adjust (a musical instrument or a changeable part of one) to a certain pitch

to adjust (a note, etc) so as to bring it into harmony or concord

(tr) to adapt or adjust (oneself); attuneto tune oneself to a slower life

(tr often foll by up) to make fine adjustments to (an engine, machine, etc) to obtain optimum performance

electronics to adjust (one or more circuits) for resonance at a desired frequency

obsolete to utter (something) musically or in the form of a melody; sing

tune someone grief Southern African slang to annoy or harass someone

Word Origin for tune

C14: variant of tone

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for tuned

tune

late 14c., "a musical sound, a succession of musical notes," unexplained variant of tone. Meaning "state of being in proper pitch" is from mid-15c.

tune

"bring into a state of proper pitch," c.1500, from tune (n.). Non-musical meaning "to adjust an organ or receiver" is recorded from 1887. Verbal phrase tune in in reference to radio (later also TV) is recorded from 1913; figurative sense of "become aware" is recorded from 1926. Tune out "to eliminate radio reception" is recorded from 1908; figurative sense of "disregard, stop heeding" is from 1928. Related: Tuned; tuning.

Idioms and Phrases with tuned

tune

In addition to the idioms beginning with tune

tune in
tune out
tune up

also see:

call the tune
carry a tune
change one's tune
dance to another tune
in tune
to the tune of