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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

tune.

A melody.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/tjuːn//tʃuːn//tuːn//tɪu̯n/Canada, Wales
  1. A melody.

    countable · uncountable
    Eric played a catchy tune on his acoustic guitar and Alyssa played the drums.
  2. A song, or short musical composition.

    countable · uncountable
  3. The act of tuning or maintenance.

    countable · informal · uncountable
    Your engine needs a good tune.
  4. The state or condition of being correctly tuned.

    countable · uncountable
    Your engine is now in tune.
    This piano is not in tune.
  5. Temper; frame of mind.

    countable · obsolete · uncountable
  6. A sound; a note; a tone.

    countable · obsolete · uncountable
  7. Order; harmony; concord.

    countable · obsolete · uncountable
Where this word comes from

From Middle English tune, an unexplained variant of tone, from Old French ton, from Latin tonus, from Ancient Greek τόνος (tónos, “a tone”). Doublet of tone, ton, and tonus.

intj/tjuːn//tʃuːn//tuːn//tɪu̯n/Canada, Wales
  1. Used to show appreciation or approval of a song.

    UK · slang
    You heard the new Rizzle Kicks song? — Tune!
Where this word comes from

From Middle English tune, an unexplained variant of tone, from Old French ton, from Latin tonus, from Ancient Greek τόνος (tónos, “a tone”). Doublet of tone, ton, and tonus.

verb/tjuːn//tʃuːn//tuːn//tɪu̯n/Canada, Wales
  1. To adjust (a musical instrument) so that it produces the correct pitches.

    to tune a piano or a violin
  2. To adjust or modify (especially a mechanical or electrical device) so that it functions optimally.

    Tuning the engine gave me an extra twenty horsepower.
    Tune your mind, and anything becomes possible.
  3. To adjust the frequency of a transmitter or receiver, such as on a radio or TV transmitter or receiver, so as to send or receive an electromagnetic signal through a desired frequency band or channel.

    Tune to Channel 6 for all your favourite daytime shows.
  4. Of faculties, senses, etc.: to adapt to or direct towards a particular target.

    My ears were tuned to the sounds of the forest.
  5. To make more precise, intense, or effective; to put into a proper state or disposition.

  6. To make more precise, intense, or effective; to put into a proper state or disposition. To produce a particular quality of voice by adjusting singing voice synthesis software.

    slang
  7. To adjust the frequency of a transmitter or receiver, such as on a radio or TV transmitter or receiver, so as to send or receive an electromagnetic signal through a desired frequency band or channel.

  8. To attune; to adapt in style of music; to make harmonious.

  9. To give a certain tone or character to.

    transitive
  10. To set (lyrics) to music.

    transitive
  11. To sing with melody or harmony.

    obsolete
  12. To be impudent towards; to cheek.

    South-Africa · slang · transitive
    Are you tuning me?
Where this word comes from

From Middle English tune, an unexplained variant of tone, from Old French ton, from Latin tonus, from Ancient Greek τόνος (tónos, “a tone”). Doublet of tone, ton, and tonus.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.