0 a quality in the voice that expresses the speaker's feelings or thoughts, often towards the person being spoken to:
For more than half a century, the reassuring tones of BBC newscasters have informed British television viewers about world events.
I could hear the low tones of my parents talking in the next room.
She recounted the story to me in shocked tones (= in a shocked voice).
It wasn't so much what she said that annoyed me - it was her tone.
Don't speak to me in that tone of voice (= angrily), young lady!
I tried to use a sympathetic tone of voice.
1 the general mood or main qualities of something:
He was in a very bad mood when he arrived, and that set the tone for the whole meeting.
Both candidates need to raise the tone of the campaign, as the electorate is tired of negative campaigning.
Trust you to lower the tone of the evening by telling disgusting jokes, Mark!
I didn't like the jokey tone of the article - I thought it was inappropriate.
3 the healthy tightness of the body, especially the muscles:
4 the largest difference in pitch between two notes that are next to each other in the western musical scale:
5 the quality of sound of a musical instrument or singing voice:
The tone of his poetry is restrained and unemotional.
The tone of the meeting was very pessimistic.
Dale lowered the tone of the evening by telling a dirty joke.
I found myself irritated by the adulatory tone of her biography.
When he spoke his tone was accusatory.
"We're so pleased to meet you at last, " he said in a respectful tone of voice.
It's that patronizing tone of hers that I can't bear.
