tone
noun /təʊn/
/təʊn/
- [countable] the quality of somebody’s voice, especially expressing a particular emotion
- speaking in hushed/low/clipped/measured, etc. tones
- a conversational tone
- a tone of surprise
- Don't speak to me in that tone of voice (= in that unpleasant way).
- There's not need to take that tone (= speak critically or rudely) with me—it's not my fault we're late.
Extra Examples- ‘You ought to have thought of them,’ she said in a reproachful tone.
- Excuse me, I don't like your tone.
- Her tone betrayed her impatience.
- Her tone sounded sincere but I knew she was lying.
- His tone changed dramatically when he saw the money.
- In cool, clipped tones, he told her what had happened.
- She answered him in a brisk, matter-of-fact tone.
- His tone was faintly mocking.
- The question was posed in a flat tone.
- The rising tone of her voice emphasized her panic.
- When she heard my accent, she adopted a warmer tone.
- We heard the dulcet tones of the sergeant, bawling at us to get on parade.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- deep
- low
- hushed
- …
- adopt
- speak in
- strike
- …
- change
- soften
- convey something
- …
- in a/the tone
- in tones of
- a tone of voice
- [singular] the general character and attitude of something such as a piece of writing, or the atmosphere of an event
- The overall tone of the book is gently nostalgic.
- She set the tone for the meeting with a firm statement of company policy.
- Trust you to lower the tone of the conversation (= for example by telling a rude joke).
- in tone The article was moderate in tone and presented both sides of the case.
- a change in tone
- The film takes a sudden shift in tone in the final minutes.
- The newspaper said voters had been turned off by the negative tone of the campaign.
Extra Examples- He uses humour to lighten the tone of the novel.
- His letter was very negative in tone.
- The general tone of the report was favourable.
- The movie has a jokey tone throughout.
- The music perfectly matches the tone of the movie.
- The newspaper sets a high moral tone in its editorial about politicians' private lives.
- There is a marked change of tone in the second half of the book.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- dominant
- general
- overall
- …
- establish
- set
- have
- …
- in tone
- a change in tone
- a change of tone
- [countable] the quality of a sound, especially the sound of a musical instrument or one produced by electronic equipment
- the full rich tone of the trumpet
- the sweet tone of the flute
- the volume and tone controls on a car stereo
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- deep
- low
- hushed
- …
- adopt
- speak in
- strike
- …
- change
- soften
- convey something
- …
- in a/the tone
- in tones of
- a tone of voice
- [countable] a shade of a colour
- a carpet in warm tones of brown and orange
Extra ExamplesTopics Colours and Shapesc2- You should use a foundation that matches your skin tone.
- Dark, rich tones will absorb light to make a room look smaller.
- Her hair was lit with copper tones.
- muted tones of blue and green
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- light
- muted
- neutral
- …
- match
- [uncountable] how strong and tight your muscles or skin are
- how to improve your muscle/skin tone
- [countable] a sound heard on a phone line (British English)
- the dialling tone
- (North American English) the dial tone
- Please speak after the tone (= for example as an instruction on an answering machine).
- I keep getting the engaged tone.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- dial
- dialling
- engaged
- …
- get
- sound
- (British English) (US English whole step)[countable] one of the five longer intervals in a musical scale, for example the interval between C and D or between E and F♯ compare semitone, stepWordfinder
- beat
- harmony
- melody
- music
- note
- rhythm
- sing
- tempo
- tone
- vocal
- [countable] the pitch (= how high or low a sound is) of a syllable in speaking
- a rising/falling tone
- a particular pitch pattern on a syllable in languages such as Chinese, that can be used to recognize the difference in meanings
- (in adjectives) having the type of tone mentioned
- a bright-toned soprano
- olive-toned skin
of voice
character/atmosphere
of sound
colour
of muscles/skin
on phone
in music
phonetics
-toned
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French ton, from Latin tonus, from Greek tonos ‘tension, tone’, from teinein ‘to stretch’.
Wordfinder
- cluster
- consonant
- diphthong
- elide
- intonation
- phonetics
- pronunciation
- stress
- tone
- voiced