tone

- definition

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Thesaurus

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noun

/təʊn/

singular	tone
plural	tones

1
[countable/uncountable] the sound of someone’s voice that shows what they are feeling
Meredith trembled at the tenderness in his tone.
a tone of voice:
‘Really?’ Simone said in a surprised tone of voice.
Don’t you take that tone of voice with me (=don’t speak to me so rudely)!
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of tone
1. a.
  the type of sound that someone makes with their voice in a particular situation
  They were sitting close together, talking in hushed tones.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of tone
2
[singular/uncountable] the general character of a place or event
The positive tone of the evening had changed completely.
set the tone (for something):
The opening remarks set the tone for the rest of the interview.
raise/lower the tone (of something):
Trust you to lower the tone of the whole conversation!
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of tone
1. a.
  the general attitude shown by a piece of writing
  Much of his writing has a rather strident tone to it.
  in tone:
  Their next letter was more optimistic in tone.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of tone
3
[countable/uncountable] music the quality of the sound made by a musical instrument, voice, or piece of electronic equipment
a flute with a clear bright tone
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of tone
4
[countable] a sound made by a piece of equipment as a signal or warning
I picked up the phone and just got a beeping tone.
The answering machine said to leave a message after the tone.
the engaged tone (=the sound you hear when the number you want to telephone is being used):
I keep getting the engaged tone.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of tone
5
[countable] a colour or a particular shade (=type) of a colour
a tweed coat in subtle tones of purple and green
her olive skin tone
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of tone
6
[countable] music an amount equal to two semitones by which a musical note is higher or lower than another note
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of tone
7
[uncountable] the firm or healthy quality of your body, muscles, or skin
muscle/skin tone:
The patient’s general muscle tone is good.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of tone
8
[countable/uncountable] linguistics the degree to which the sound of a word or part of a word is high or low
You use a rising tone in English to indicate a question.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of tone

This is the British English definition of tone. View American English definition of tone.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

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