an adjustment, as of a motor, to improve working order or condition.
The car needs a tune-up badly.
Informal. a preparatory activity or warm-up, as before a contest or game.
The track meet served as a tune-up for the Olympics.
to adjust (a musical instrument) to a particular pitch, esp a standard one
(esp of an orchestra or other instrumental ensemble) to tune (instruments) to a common pitch
(tr) to adjust (an engine) in (a car, etc) to improve performance
First recorded in 1945–50; noun use of verb phrase tune up
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Lakers reached the maximum number of tune-up games last year and could use any additional reps to prepare for this season with nine new players.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 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
That all changed last month in a World Cup tune-up against Senegal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 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
Coach Jason Gilmore's post-match comments about using the remainder of the campaign to tune up ahead of 2026-27's pre-season, understandably drew ire.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026
Flutes and drums tune up as spectators begin to line the curbs and balconies along the street.
From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2025
The unsettling data comes as Australia battles a slump in productivity and falling living standards, with the Labor government now busily examining reform options to tune up the economy and reverse its sliding fortunes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 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
Gracious God, say Squeak, how I’m gonna tune up my mouth to say all that?
From "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker
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.
