noun \ˈtōn\

: the quality of a person's voice

: the quality of a sound produced by a musical instrument or singing voice

: a quality, feeling, or attitude expressed by the words that someone uses in speaking or writing

Full Definition of TONE

:  vocal or musical sound of a specific quality <spoke in low tones> <masculine tones>; especially :  musical sound with respect to timbre and manner of expression
a :  a sound of definite pitch and vibration
b :  whole step
:  accent or inflection expressive of a mood or emotion
:  the pitch of a word often used to express differences of meaning
:  a particular pitch or change of pitch constituting an element in the intonation of a phrase or sentence <high tone> <low tone> <mid tone> <low-rising tone> <falling tone>
:  style or manner of expression in speaking or writing <seemed wise to adopt a conciliatory tone>
a (1) :  color quality or value (2) :  a tint or shade of color
b :  the color that appreciably modifies a hue or white or black <gray walls of greenish tone>
:  the effect in painting of light and shade together with color
a :  the state of a living body or of any of its organs or parts in which the functions are healthy and performed with due vigor
b :  normal tension or responsiveness to stimuli; specifically :  muscular tonus
a :  healthy elasticity :  resiliency
b :  general character, quality, or trend <a city's upbeat tone>
c :  frame of mind :  mood

Examples of TONE

  1. He replied in a friendly tone.
  2. They spoke in hushed tones.
  3. Don't use that rude tone of voice with me.
  4. the low tones of an organ
  5. The speech had religious tones to it.
  6. The author's tone shows her attitude toward the subject.
  7. The professor's condescending tone irritated some students.
  8. a bright, dark, or light tone of blue
  9. the soft tones of the painting

Origin of TONE

Middle English, from Anglo-French tun, ton, from Latin tonus tension, tone, from Greek tonos, literally, act of stretching; akin to Greek teinein to stretch — more at thin
First Known Use: 14th century



: to give strength and firmness to (something, such as muscles or skin)


Full Definition of TONE

transitive verb
:  intone
:  to give a particular intonation or inflection to
a :  to impart tone to :  strengthen <medicine to tone up the system>
b :  to soften or reduce in intensity, color, appearance, or sound :  mellow —often used with down
c :  to change the normal silver image of (as a photographic print) into a colored image
intransitive verb
:  to assume a pleasing color quality or tint
:  to blend or harmonize in color

First Known Use of TONE



biographical name \ˈtōn\

Definition of TONE

(Theobald) Wolfe 1763–1798 Irish revolutionary


noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In linguistics, a variation in the pitch of the voice while speaking. The term is usually applied to languages (called tone languages) in which pitch differentiates words with an identical sequences of consonants and vowels. For example, man in Mandarin Chinese may mean either “deceive” or “slow,” depending on its pitch. In tone languages, what matters is not absolute pitch but the pitch of one word relative to another or how pitch changes within a word.


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