tune up

/tun əp/

/tjun əp/

Other forms: tuning up; tuned up; tunes up

To tune up is to balance or adjust a car's engine or a musical instrument so that it works correctly. You better tune up your instrument before a concert, or else you could turn off your fans.

Every motor vehicle needs a tune up now and then, and even your bicycle can benefit from a tune up. When a mechanic tunes up a car, she checks the systems and important parts and makes any needed adjustments. When a musician tunes up a guitar, he changes the instrument's pitch so that its sound isn't too sharp or flat. The musical meaning of tune up came first.

Definitions of tune up

1. verb

   adjust for (better) functioning
   synonyms: tune

   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
2. verb

   adjust the pitches of (musical instruments)
   synonyms: tune

   type of:

   adjust, correct, set

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