tone

verb

toned; toning

transitive verb

1

: to soften or reduce in intensity, color, appearance, or sound : mellow

—often used with down

tone down the bright colors

The candidate toned down his harsh rhetoric.

2

: to impart tone to : strengthen

medicine to tone up the system

especially : to increase the firmness, strength, or tautness of (a part of the body)

She lifted weights to tone her arms.

3

: to change the normal silver image of (something, such as a photographic print) into a colored image

4

: to give a particular intonation or inflection to

5

: intone

intransitive verb

1

: to assume a pleasing color quality or tint

2

: to blend or harmonize in color

Examples of tone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Historically, Black singers toned down their sexuality to appeal to radio and young (white) audiences, using falsetto as a survival tool to avoid being seen as threatening. —Ahmir “questlove” Thompson, VIBE.com, 7 June 2026

Less frustration over those issues could tone down the backlash and soften voter frustration, said Luna, director of the University of San Diego’s Institute for Civil Civic Engagement. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2026

The music was extremely toned down, delivering a wonderfully hushed and intimate vibe. —Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 4 June 2026

When a department is dispatched, a series of radio tones alert fire crews to the call. —Jessica Riley, CBS News, 3 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

derivative of tone entry 1

First Known Use

1674, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 5

Phrases Containing tone

• dialling tone
• dial tone
• earth tone
• engaged tone
• jewel tone
• leading tone
• quarter tone
• set the tone
• tone color
• tone-deaf
• tone in with (something)
• tone language
• tone of voice
• tone poem
• tone row
• tone-setter
• touch-tone
• twelve-tone
• twelve-tone row
• two-tone

Rhymes for tone

• blown
• clone
• cone
• crone
• drone
• flown
• groan
• grown
• hone
• joan
• jone
• known

Kids Definition

tone

1 of 2 noun

ˈtōn 

1

a

: a musical sound having a definite pitch : the sound of a note

b

: whole step

2

: accent or pitch of the voice especially when used to express an emotion or a change in meaning

spoke in a sharp tone

3

: style or manner of expression

reply in a friendly tone

the author's tone shows his or her attitude toward the subject

4

a

: a shade of color

decorated in soft tones

b

: a color that changes another

gray with a blue tone

5

a

: a healthy state of the body or any of its parts

b

: normal tension or ability to respond to stimuli

especially : the state of normal tension of a muscle in which it is partly contracted

6

: general character or quality

the city's upbeat tone

tone

2 of 2 verb

toned; toning

1

: to give tone to : strengthen

vitamins to tone up the system

2

: to soften in color, appearance, or sound

—often used with down

Etymology

Middle English tone "a musical sound, a sound from the voice," from Latin tonus "tension, tone, pitch," from Greek tonos "act of stretching, tension, tone, pitch"; so called because the pitch of the tone of a stringed musical instrument is related to how tightly the strings are stretched

Medical Definition

tone

1 of 2 noun

ˈtōn 

1

: a sound of definite pitch and vibration

2

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 : tonus sense 2

tone

2 of 2 transitive verb

toned; toning

: to impart tone to

tone the muscles