tune
[noun]
Synonyms:
- melody, air, song, strain, theme
- pitch, concord, consonance, euphony, harmony
[verb]
Synonyms:
- adjust, adapt, attune, harmonize, pitch, regulate

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Related Words: carol, composition, number, piece, fix, regulate

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English Thesaurus: music, tune, melody, harmony, piece, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. tune¹ S3 /tjuːn $ tuːn/ noun
[Date: 1300-1400; Origin: tone]

1. [countable] a series of musical notes that are played or sung and are nice to listen to Synonym : melody:
That’s a nice tune.
She sang some old classics and a few new tunes.
to the tune of something (=using the same tune as another song)
The song was sung to the tune of "Amazing Grace".

2. in tune playing or singing the correct musical note:
They sang perfectly in tune.

3. out of tune playing or singing higher or lower than the correct musical note:
Greg’s bass guitar was out of tune.

4. in tune with somebody/something, out of tune with somebody/something able or unable to realize, understand, or agree with what someone else thinks or wants:
The industry is changing in tune with changing demand.

5. to the tune of $1,000/£2 million etc informal used to emphasize how large an amount or number is:
Canada is funding the programme to the tune of $30 million.
⇒ call the tune at call¹(9), ⇒ change your tune at change¹(14), ⇒ dance to sb’s tune at dance²(4), ⇒ fine-tune, signature tune

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. tune² verb [transitive]

1. to make a musical instrument play at the right pitch:
Someone’s coming tomorrow to tune the piano.

2. (also tune up) to make small changes to an engine so that it works as well as possible

3. to make a radio or television receive broadcasts from a particular place
tune something to something
The radio was tuned to a classical station. ⇒ stay tuned at stay¹(8)

4. finely/highly tuned finely tuned feelings, senses, or systems are extremely sensitive and able to react quickly
be tuned to something
a species finely tuned to life in the desert
tune in phrasal verb

1. to watch or listen to a broadcast on radio or television
tune in to
People get their information by tuning in to foreign radio stations.
More than 150 million Americans tuned in to watch the final episode.

2. (also be tuned in) to realize or understand what is happening or what other people are thinking
tune in to
Try to tune in to your partner’s needs.
The company aims to be more tuned in to customer needs.
tune out phrasal verb informal
to ignore or stop listening to someone or something:
A bored child may simply tune out.
tune somebody/something ↔ out
I learned to tune out the background noise.
tune up phrasal verb

1. when musicians tune up, they prepare their instruments to play at the right pitch
tune something ↔ up
The band were tuning up their guitars.

2. tune something ↔ up to make small changes to an engine so that it works as well as possible

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

tune
noun
ADJ. little He hummed a little tune as he washed the dishes.
good, nice | familiar, popular, traditional, well-known, well-loved | catchy, memorable | lively, uplifting | dance, hymn | signature, theme
VERB + TUNE give sb, hum, play (sb), sing, whistle She gave us a tune on the piano.
hum/sing along with | compose, write | pick out The kids were picking out a popular tune on the old piano.
carry, hold He wasn't allowed in the choir because he couldn't hold a tune.
PHRASES to the tune of sth The crowd were singing ‘Give us jobs, not more cuts!’ to the tune of ‘Happy Birthday To You’.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

tune
verb
I. adjust an engine/a machine
ADV. permanently
PREP. to a laser that is permanently tuned to the correct frequency
PHRASES finely/highly tuned a finely tuned engine

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

tune
II. adjust a television/radio
ADV. in Don't forget to tune in to our special election programme this evening.
PREP. for, to I tuned to the BBC for the late news.
PHRASES badly tuned He heard everything through a screen of interference, like on a badly tuned radio.
stay tuned Stay tuned for the news.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

tune

play a tune
He played a tune on the piano.
hum/whistle a tune
She was humming a little tune to herself.
write/compose a tune
They wrote many great tunes together in the 80s.
catchy/memorable (=one that is easy to remember)
His songs have simple words and catchy tunes.
the theme tune/signature tune (=the tune at the beginning or end of a television programme etc)
the theme tune from the movie 'Titanic'
a show tune (=a tune from a musical)
Broadway show tunes
a dance tune
The DJ played some bouncy dance tunes.
a hymn tune
a rousing hymn tune

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

music the sounds made by musical instruments or people singing:
The music was really loud.
tune the main series of musical notes in a piece of music:
a folk song with a pretty tune
melody the main series of notes in a piece of music that has many notes being played at the same time, especially in classical music:
The soprano sang the melody.
harmony the chords or notes in a piece of music that support the melody:
the rich harmonies in the symphony
piece (also piece of music) an arrangement of musical notes – use this about music without words:
It’s a difficult piece to play.
composition formal a piece of music that someone has written:
This is one of his own compositions.
work a piece of music, especially classical music:
one of Mozart’s best-known works
track one of the songs or pieces of music on a CD:
the album’s title track
number a piece of popular music that forms part of a concert or show:
the show’s first number

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

song a short piece of music with words that you sing:
We sang songs around the campfire.
The song was written by John Lennon.
track one of the songs on a CD or record:
Track three is my favourite one.
number a song that forms part of a performance of several songs:
The show was brilliant, from the opening number to the end.
tune the notes in a song, without the words:
I recognize the tune, but I can’t remember what it’s called.
melody the main series of notes in a piece of music that has several parts which are played together:
The song has a simple melody and beautiful lyrics.
verse a set of sentences that make up one part of a song:
She sang the first verse of ‘Amazing Grace’.
chorus a set of sentences in a song that is repeated after each verse:
Most of the kids were able to join in the chorus.
national anthem the official song of a country, which is sung or played on public occasions:
Before the match, everyone stood up to sing the national anthem.
hymn /hɪm/ a religious song that is sung in a church:
What hymns did you choose for your wedding?
At funerals people often sing the hymn ‘Abide with Me’.
carol a traditional Christmas song:
We went around the houses, singing carols.
folk song a traditional song from a particular area:
an old Mexican folk song
ballad a long folk song which tells a story:
a traditional ballad about a man who is dreaming of his home in Ireland
lullaby a slow quiet song sung to children to make them go to sleep:
She sat by the child’s bed, softly singing a lullaby.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

tune
tju:n
See: call the tune , change one's tune , in tune , sing a different tune or whistle a different tune also sing a new tune , to the tune of

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲