tune
verb/tjuːn/
/tuːn/
Verb Forms
Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they tune | /tjuːn/ /tuːn/ |
| he / she / it tunes | /tjuːnz/ /tuːnz/ |
| past simple tuned | /tjuːnd/ /tuːnd/ |
| past participle tuned | /tjuːnd/ /tuːnd/ |
| -ing form tuning | /ˈtjuːnɪŋ/ /ˈtuːnɪŋ/ |
- tune something to make changes to a musical instrument so that it plays at the correct pitch
- to tune a guitar
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- tune something to make changes to an engine so that it runs smoothly and as well as possible
- a finely tuned engine
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- perfectly
- precisely
- carefully
- …
- to
- finely tuned
- highly tuned
- [usually passive] to change the controls on a radio or television so that you can receive a particular programme or channel
- be tuned (in) (to something) The radio was tuned (in) to the BBC World Service.
- (informal) Stay tuned for the news coming up next.
Extra ExamplesTopics TV, radio and newsb2- He heard everything through a screen of interference, like on a badly tuned radio.
- Most phones will automatically tune to the strongest network signal.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- permanently
- automatically
- regularly
- …
- for
- into
- to
- …
- badly tuned
- stay tuned
- tune something (to something) to prepare or change something so that it is suitable for a particular situation
- His speech was tuned to what the audience wanted to hear.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- perfectly
- precisely
- carefully
- …
- to
- finely tuned
- highly tuned
Word Originlate Middle English: unexplained alteration of tone. The verb is first recorded (late 15th cent.) in the sense ‘celebrate in music, sing’.
Check pronunciation:
tune