Definition

1. Noun:

   • A melody or series of musical notes: A succession of notes that forms a recognizable and pleasing musical phrase.
   • Correct musical pitch: The state of being at the proper pitch or in harmony.
   • A state of agreement or harmony: A figurative state of being in accord or alignment with something else.
   • The adjustment to a specific frequency: The act of adjusting a radio, television, or other device to receive a particular signal.

2. Verb:

   • To adjust the pitch of a musical instrument: To make small adjustments so an instrument produces the correct notes.
   • To adjust for optimal performance: To make fine adjustments to a machine, engine, or system so it works better.
   • To adjust a receiver to a signal: To set a radio, TV, etc., to receive a particular station or frequency.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • She whistled a cheerful tune. (A melody)
  • The violin is in tune. (At the correct pitch)
  • His ideas are in tune with modern thinking. (In harmony/agreement)
  • Find the tune for the news station. (The correct radio frequency)

• Verb:

  • I need to tune my guitar before the concert. (Adjust the pitch)
  • The mechanic will tune the engine for better fuel efficiency. (Adjust for performance)
  • Please tune the radio to 98.5 FM. (Adjust to a frequency)

Advanced Usage

• "to be in/out of tune":

  • The piano was out of tune, so every song sounded wrong. (Not at the correct pitch)
  • Her political views are in tune with the majority. (In agreement with)

• "to change one's tune": To change one's opinion, attitude, or manner of speaking.

  • He criticized the plan at first, but he changed his tune when he saw its success.

• "to the tune of": To the amount or sum of (often a surprisingly large amount).

  • The project was financed to the tune of several million dollars.

Variants and Related Words

• Tuneful (adj): Having a pleasant tune; melodious.
  • The song was simple but tuneful.
• Tuner (n): A person who tunes musical instruments, or a device for tuning (e.g., a radio tuner).
  • The piano tuner comes every six months.
• Tuning (n): The process of adjusting the pitch of an instrument or the frequency of a receiver.
  • The orchestra's tuning before the concert created a cacophony.

Synonyms

• Melody (n): A sequence of single notes that is musically satisfying.
• Air (n): A simple tune or melody.
• Adjust (v): To change something slightly to make it fit or work better.
• Harmonize (v): To bring into consonance or accord.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Tune in (to something): To adjust a radio or television to listen to or watch a particular program or station.
  • Millions of people tune in to the show every week.
• Tune out: To stop listening or paying attention.
  • The lecture was so boring that I just tuned out.
• Tune up: To make small adjustments to an engine or machine so it runs better; for an orchestra, to adjust instruments to the same pitch before playing.
  • I took my car to the garage to get it tuned up.
  • The musicians tuned up their instruments on stage.

Related Idioms

• Call the tune: To be in control and make the important decisions.
  • As the major investor, the bank calls the tune.
• Dance to someone's tune: To do whatever someone tells you to do.
  • The smaller companies were forced to dance to the tune of the market leader.
• Fine-tune: To make very small adjustments to something to make it as good as possible.
  • We need to fine-tune the software before the official launch.

Noun

1. the adjustment of a radio receiver or other circuit to a required frequency
2. the property of producing accurately a note of a given pitch
   • he cannot sing in tune
   • the clarinet was out of tune
3. a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
   • she was humming an air from Beethoven

Verb

1. adjust the pitches of (musical instruments)
   • My piano needs to be tuned
2. adjust for (better) functioning
   • tune the engine