Tone Definition
tone
noun
- the quality of a person's voice; "he began in a conversational tone"; "he spoke in a nervous tone of voice"
- (linguistics) a pitch or change in pitch of the voice that serves to distinguish words in tonal languages; "the Beijing dialect uses four tones"
- (music) the distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound); "the timbre of her soprano was rich and lovely"; "the muffled tones of the broken bell summoned them to meet"
- the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people; "the feel of the city excited him"; "a clergyman improved the tone of the meeting"; "it had the smell of treason"
- a quality of a given color that differs slightly from another color; "after several trials he mixed the shade of pink that she wanted"
- a notation representing the pitch and duration of a musical sound; "the singer held the note too long"
- a steady sound without overtones; "they tested his hearing with pure tones of different frequencies"
- the elastic tension of living muscles, arteries, etc. that facilitate response to stimuli; "the doctor tested my tonicity"
- a musical interval of two semitones
- the quality of something (an act or a piece of writing) that reveals the attitudes and presuppositions of the author; "the general tone of articles appearing in the newspapers is that the government should withdraw"; "from the tone of her behavior I gathered that I had outstayed my welcome"
verb
- utter monotonously and repetitively and rhythmically; "The students chanted the same slogan over and over again"
- vary the pitch of one's speech
- change the color or tone of; "tone a negative"
- change to a color image; "tone a photographic image"
- give a healthy elasticity to; "Let's tone our muscles"
"Tone" in song lyrics
See how tone is used in real songs:
-
"Hard like a drummer summer color skin tone"
2Mex f/ Awol One — Baby I Ain't Joking -
"So I put my back in my bone, and mack in my tone"
40 Glocc f/ Suga Free, Mr. Shadow — Leave Me Alone (Little Bitty Box) -
"Ty-Ty, E, the Twins and Long Tone"
415 — 415
Words that rhyme with tone
Usage tips for "tone"
Understanding the precise definition of a word helps you use it with confidence. When using "tone" in your writing, consider whether you need the word itself or one of its synonyms — subtle differences in meaning can change the tone of a sentence. If you're writing poetry or song lyrics, check the rhymes for tone to find words that pair well.