Meaning of tone In English

• 0 a quality in the voice that expresses the speaker's feelings or thoughts, often towards the person being spoken to:

  • I tried to use a sympathetic tone of voice.

  • Don't speak to me in that tone of voice (= angrily), young lady!

  • It wasn't so much what she said that annoyed me - it was her tone.

  • She recounted the story to me in shocked tones (= in a shocked voice).

  • I could hear the low tones of my parents talking in the next room.

  • For more than half a century, the reassuring tones of BBC newscasters have informed British television viewers about world events.

• 1 the general mood or main qualities of something:

  • I didn't like the jokey tone of the article - I thought it was inappropriate.

  • Trust you to lower the tone of the evening by telling disgusting jokes, Mark!

  • Both candidates need to raise the tone of the campaign, as the electorate is tired of negative campaigning.

  • He was in a very bad mood when he arrived, and that set the tone for the whole meeting.

• 2 a form or degree of a colour:

  • warm tones of brown and yellow

• 3 the healthy tightness of the body, especially the muscles:

  • After you've had a baby you lose the muscle tone in your stomach.

• 4 the largest difference in pitch between two notes that are next to each other in the western musical scale:

  • The interval from G to A is a whole tone.

• 5 the quality of sound of a musical instrument or singing voice:

  • the beautiful rich tones of his tenor voice

• 6 one of the continuous sounds that you hear on a phone that tell you if the other phone is ringing, if it is busy, etc.:

  • I've called him several times but I keep getting the engaged tone.

  • Please wait until you hear the dialling tone (= the sound that a phone makes when it is ready to be used).

• 7 If you tone a part of the body, you make it firmer and stronger, usually by doing physical exercise:

  • This is a good exercise for toning up the thighs.

• 8 a quality in the voice, esp. one that expresses the speaker’s feelings, often toward the person being addressed:

  • His tone was apologetic.

• 9 the mood or general feeling of something:

  • The tone of his remarks was confident and reassuring.

  • The angry tone of this essay reveals her feelings about the war.

• 10 a musical, mechanical, or voice sound on one note:

  • If you wish to leave a message, please wait until after the tone.

• 11 the quality of sound of a musical instrument or singing voice

• 12 (esp. of muscles) the quality of being healthy and firm:

  • Swimming helps to develop good muscle tone.

• 13 a feature of color related to its brightness or the amount of light it reflects

• 14 an electronic sound that you hear on a phone line:

  • Please leave your message after the tone.

• 15 an electronic sound when you call a phone number that tells you the person you are calling is already using the phone for another call:

  • I've tried calling her several times but I keep on getting a busy tone.