tone
tone — verb
1. To make a specific area of the body tighter and more defined by doing regular ph
To make a specific area of the body tighter and more defined by doing regular physical activities such as lifting weights, doing yoga, or running.
Linh tones her arms by lifting small weights three times a week.
collocation: tone + body part (arms)
Regular yoga sessions helped Padma tone her stomach muscles.
The personal trainer showed Christopher exercises to tone his legs and back.
pattern: tone as goal of exercise
David's new workout plan is designed to tone his entire upper body.
passive: is designed to tone
Tara noticed that swimming every morning toned her shoulders and arms.
- tone arms
- tone legs
- tone stomach
- tone muscles
- tone up
- tone your body
- toning exercises
- firm
more general, can refer to skin as well as muscles
- strengthen
emphasises power gain rather than visible definition
- sculpt
more informal, suggests shaping the body's appearance
- soften
lose firmness; the opposite effect on muscles
Grammar Patterns
tone + body part
tone + up + body part
Usage Note
Object is always a body part or area of the body. Frequently used with 'up': 'tone up your legs.' The noun form 'toning' is common in fitness contexts ('arm toning exercises').
Common Mistakes
tone — noun
1. the way someone's voice sounds when they speak, which shows what they are feelin
the way someone's voice sounds when they speak, which shows what they are feeling about a person or topic — for example, sounding angry, gentle, or impatient.
Linh apologised to her brother in a soft, regretful tone.
in a + adjective + tone
There was a sharp tone in Kian's voice when he answered the question.
a [adjective] tone in someone's voice
Please don't speak to your grandmother in that rude tone.
imperative; criticising tone
Eli could tell from his teacher's tone that the news was bad.
tell from someone's tone
The lawyer's calm tone reassured the worried family in the courtroom.
- angry tone
- apologetic tone
- in a [adj] tone
- tone of voice
- tone of surprise
- manner
broader — covers gestures and words, not just voice sound
- inflection
more technical; the rise and fall of the voice
Grammar Patterns
a/an + adjective + tone
in a + adjective + tone
Usage Note
Almost always singular and modified by an adjective describing the feeling (angry, gentle, sarcastic). Distinguish from sense 2: sense 1 is the emotion the voice carries in one moment; sense 2 is the speaker's general voice quality.
Common Mistakes
2. the general sound character of a person's speaking voice, such as whether it is
the general sound character of a person's speaking voice, such as whether it is deep, soft, smooth, or harsh.
Zola has a warm, low tone that puts every guest at ease.
adjective + tone describing voice quality
The radio host was famous for his rich, velvety tone.
Tendai's grandfather had a tone that grew thinner and rougher with age.
Ravindra speaks with a clear, gentle tone that children find comforting.
speaks with a + adjective + tone
- deep tone
- rich tone
- warm tone
- gentle tone
Grammar Patterns
adjective + tone
Usage Note
Refers to the steady character of a voice across many situations, not the feeling in one sentence (sense 1). Often paired with adjectives of texture (rich, smooth, gravelly) rather than emotion.
3. in some languages such as Mandarin or Vietnamese, the rise or fall of pitch on a
in some languages such as Mandarin or Vietnamese, the rise or fall of pitch on a syllable that decides which word the speaker means.
Mandarin has four tones, and the third one falls before it rises.
the + ordinal + tone
Beginners often confuse the second and fourth tones in Chinese class.
The word 'ma' changes meaning entirely depending on the tone you use.
depending on the tone
Manuela practised the rising tone with her language partner every morning.
rising/falling tone
- four tones
- rising tone
- falling tone
- the third tone
- pitch
broader — applies to any sound, not just language
Grammar Patterns
the + ordinal + tone
rising/falling tone
Usage Note
Used in linguistics teaching about tonal languages. Almost always pluralisable and counted ('four tones'); contrast with sense 1, which is rarely used in the plural.
4. the overall feeling or attitude that a text, a speech, an event, or a place crea
the overall feeling or attitude that a text, a speech, an event, or a place creates in the people who experience it — for example, a serious novel, a cheerful party, or a tense meeting.
Christopher's opening joke set a friendly tone for the whole wedding.
set + a/the + tone + for
The novel's tone shifts from cheerful to dark in the final chapter.
the tone of [a work] shifts
There was a tense tone at the meeting after the budget cuts were announced.
a + adjective + tone at/in [event]
Élise wanted the cafe to have a relaxed, welcoming tone.
The director's email struck a serious tone about the missed deadline.
strike a + adjective + tone
- set the tone
- strike a tone
- the overall tone
- the tone of the article
- mood
broader; applies to people too, not just texts and events
- atmosphere
stresses what people feel in a place
- spirit
more positive; suggests energy or enthusiasm
Grammar Patterns
the + tone + of + noun
set the tone (for)
Usage Note
Common in 'set the tone' (= establish the mood from the start) and 'strike a tone' (= express a particular attitude). Subject is typically writing, an event, or a public statement — not a single voice (use sense 1 for that).
Common Mistakes
5. a particular version of a colour, lighter or darker or slightly different from a
a particular version of a colour, lighter or darker or slightly different from another version of the same colour.
The painter mixed three tones of blue for the evening sky.
tones of + colour
Haruto chose a warm tone of brown for the living-room walls.
a + adjective + tone of + colour
The dress comes in two tones, soft pink and deep red.
Earth tones like beige and olive suit Andrei's skin best.
earth tones
- warm tones
- cool tones
- earth tones
- skin tone
- tones of [colour]
Grammar Patterns
adjective + tone
tones of + colour
Usage Note
Often paired with 'warm/cool/earth/skin' to classify families of colour. Use 'shade' if the difference is purely about how light or dark a colour is.
6. the firm, slightly tight feel that healthy muscles or skin have, usually as a re
the firm, slightly tight feel that healthy muscles or skin have, usually as a result of regular exercise and good condition.
Swimming three times a week has improved Lucía's muscle tone.
improve + muscle tone
After the long illness, Romi gradually lost tone in her arms and legs.
lose tone in + body part
Yoga can improve both flexibility and overall muscle tone.
The trainer suggested squats to build tone in the upper legs.
build tone in + body part
- muscle tone
- skin tone
- improve tone
- lose tone
- build tone
- flabbiness
informal; loose, unfit muscle or skin
Grammar Patterns
muscle/skin tone
lose/improve tone
Usage Note
Uncountable and almost always preceded by 'muscle' or 'skin', or paired with verbs like 'improve / build / lose'. Different from sense 5: there it is countable ('warm tones').
Common Mistakes
7. In Western music, a tone is the standard unit for measuring the pitch gap betwee
In Western music, a tone is the standard unit for measuring the pitch gap between two adjacent notes on a scale, equal in width to two semitones.
Rohan practiced the C major scale, moving up one tone at a time.
collocation: whole tone / half tone
A whole tone is the pitch distance between C and D on a piano keyboard.
Élise learned to tell a tone and a semitone apart by ear.
collocation: tone and semitone
Mateo found it easier to sing scales built from whole tones than from semitones.
Jisoo found that the gap from E to F sharp equals one tone.
example: tone on guitar fretboard
- whole tone
- full tone
- tone interval
- move up a tone
- tone and semitone
- whole tone
more common term for this specific interval in British English
- whole step
North American equivalent; used interchangeably in music education
- semitone
half the width of a tone; the smallest interval in Western music
Usage Note
In music theory, one tone equals two semitones. This is the standard interval in Western classical and popular music for building major scales.
Common Mistakes
8. The particular character or colour of a sound produced by a voice or a musical i
The particular character or colour of a sound produced by a voice or a musical instrument, determined by factors such as warmth, brightness, or richness rather than by pitch or loudness.
The old violin has a warm, sweet tone that fills the entire concert hall.
collocation: warm tone / sweet tone
Stephanie adjusted the equaliser on her speakers to improve the tone of the music.
Nia loved the bright, clear tone of the new flute her grandmother gave her.
collocation: bright tone / clear tone
The tone of an acoustic guitar sounds richer than a cheap electric one.
Wren could recognise the instrument just from its unique tone before seeing it on stage.
recognise instrument by its tone
- warm tone
- rich tone
- bright tone
- clear tone
- sweet tone
- mellow tone
- timbre
the technical musical term for the quality that distinguishes one instrument from another
- sound quality
more general phrase describing how something sounds to the listener
Usage Note
Describes the character of a sound, not its pitch or volume. Frequently modified by adjectives of quality such as warm, bright, rich, mellow, or harsh.
Common Mistakes
9. A steady or repeating sound produced by a telephone network to indicate the stat
A steady or repeating sound produced by a telephone network to indicate the status of a call, such as whether the line is ready, ringing, or already in use.
Yan picked up the phone and heard the dial tone before calling his mother.
collocation: dial tone
After Pim dialled the number, a ringing tone told her the call was going through.
collocation: ringing tone
Heloísa put the phone down when the busy tone started buzzing.
collocation: busy tone
A repeated short tone on the phone means your call did not connect.
Hassan waited for the dial tone before he typed in the international code for Japan.
- dial tone
- ringing tone
- busy tone
- engaged tone
- dial tone
the specific tone indicating the line is ready for dialling
- ringing tone
the specific tone indicating the call is going through
- busy tone
the specific tone indicating the line is occupied
Usage Note
British English uses engaged tone where American English uses busy tone. Dial tone is universal for the sound that tells you to start dialling.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- tonedadjectiveB2
- tonelessadjectiveC1
- tonaladjectiveC1
- tonalitynounC1
- tonicnounB2
- intonationnounB2
- monotonenounB2
- undertonenounC1
- overtonenounC1
- semitonenounB2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All five words describe something carried by a speaker's voice, but they focus on different details. 'Tone' is the most common in everyday English and points to the feeling behind the words — angry, gentle, sarcastic. 'Inflection' is more technical and refers to the small rise and fall of pitch within a sentence, often signalling a question or emphasis. 'Accent' points to where the speaker is from, or which syllable is stressed in a word, not to mood. 'Manner' is broader: it covers gestures, choice of words, and posture, not only voice. 'Pitch' is purely about how high or low a sound is, with no emotional content. So a teacher might say 'Watch your tone' (= your attitude), 'Listen to the inflection' (= the rise at the end), or 'Raise your pitch' (= speak higher).
Common collocations
Nouns
- tone of voice
- muscle tone
- skin tone
- dial tone
- ringing tone
- busy tone
- engaged tone
- earth tones
Adverbs
- perfectly toned
- well toned
- evenly toned
- softly (in a softly + adjective tone)
Phrases
- set the tone
- strike a tone
- change the tone
- lower the tone
- raise the tone
- tone things down
- in hushed tones
Prepositions
- in a [adjective] tone
- with a [adjective] tone
- tone of (voice / surprise / anger)
- tone in (someone's voice)
Etymology
Comes from the Greek word 'tonos', meaning a stretching or tightening — originally describing the tension of a string on a musical instrument, which controls the pitch it produces. The word travelled through Latin 'tonus' and Old French 'ton' before entering English in the 14th century, first in its musical sense. Over time it widened to cover voice quality, mood, colour shade, and muscle firmness — all extensions of the original idea of how something is pitched, stretched, or 'set'.