tune

/tun/

/tjun/

Other forms: tunes; tuned; tuning

A tune is what you whistle when you're feeling cheerful. It's a melody or a specific sequence of musical notes.

Before playing a tune on your guitar, you might want to tune it — in other words, adjust its pitch so it sounds right. As a verb, there are several meanings of tune. You can tune a radio, or adjust the dial until you can heard a certain station, and you can tune a car, or adjust its engine so it works correctly. Tune comes from tone and its Proto-Indo-European root, ten-, "to stretch."

Definitions of tune

1. noun

   a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
   synonyms: air, line, melodic line, melodic phrase, melody, strain

   types:

   fanfare, flourish, tucket

   (music) a short lively tune played on brass instruments

   glissando

   a rapid series of ascending or descending notes on the musical scale

   roulade

   (music) an elaborate run of several notes sung to one syllable

   leitmotif, leitmotiv

   a melodic phrase that accompanies the reappearance of a person or situation (as in Wagner's operas)

   theme song

   a melody that recurs and comes to represent a musical play or movie

   signature, signature tune, theme song

   a melody used to identify a performer or a dance band or radio/tv program

   idea, melodic theme, musical theme, theme

   (music) melodic subject of a musical composition

   part, voice

   the melody carried by a particular voice or instrument in polyphonic music

   slide, swoop

   (music) rapid sliding up or down the musical scale

   motif, motive

   a theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music

   statement

   (music) the presentation of a musical theme

   variation

   a repetition of a musical theme in which it is modified or embellished

   primo

   the principal part of a duet (especially a piano duet)

   secondo

   the second or lower part of a duet (especially a piano duet)

   voice part

   a part written for a singer

   accompaniment, backup, musical accompaniment, support

   a musical part (vocal or instrumental) that supports or provides background for other musical parts

   bass, bass part

   the lowest part in polyphonic music

   type of:

   music

   an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
2. noun

   the property of producing accurately a note of a given pitch
   “he cannot sing in tune”

   “the clarinet was out of tune”

   type of:

   pitch

   the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
3. noun

   the adjustment of a radio receiver or other circuit to a required frequency
   type of:

   adjustment, alteration, modification

   the act of making something different (as e.g. the size of a garment)
4. verb

   adjust the pitches of (musical instruments)
   “My piano needs to be tuned”

   synonyms: tune up

   antonyms:

   untune

   cause to be out of tune

   type of:

   adjust, correct, set

   alter or regulate so as to achieve accuracy or conform to a standard
5. verb

   adjust for (better) functioning
   “tune the engine”

   synonyms: tune up

   types:

   fine-tune, tweak

   adjust finely

   service

   make fit for use

   tune in

   regulate (a radio or television set) in order to receive a certain station or program

   type of:

   adjust, correct, set

   alter or regulate so as to achieve accuracy or conform to a standard