tone
- noun
- /toʊn/
- For less mature performances, tone quality and intonation seem to be the predominant considerations.
- pitch and tone
- intonation and tone
- Mandarin tones
It was more just like tones, tones flowing up and down the hallway.
- It was more just like tones, tones flowing up and down the hallway.
- Door lock, feedback tone, voice control, wake word?
- I'm going to start with A reference tone C Here we go.
- You will see these changes of tone, of tonality, of dynamic.
- Your time will begin when the first tone plays.
- And again, it's like I'm just finding this whole new tone to enjoy.
Examples
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For example, musical performances are commonly judged by traits such as tone quality, pitch, and expressiveness.
Academic text (2011) -
I never heard that tone from him.
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Please leave a message after the tone.
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Did you hear that tone?
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"Spin it faster and you raise the tone; slow it down and you lower it."
Fiction book (1993) -
The music really sets the tone, don't you think?
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The Orff approach encourages an appreciation for many kinds of tone relationships to foster self-expression.
Academic text (2015) -
Musicians often focus on tone when evaluating a performance, as it greatly affects the overall sound.
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The singer adjusted her tone to match the emotional depth of the song.
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In painting, the tone of a color can significantly alter the mood of the artwork.
Synonyms
A tone in someone's voice or writing
The particular sound a voice or instrument makes
The quality of a musical sound that makes instruments or voices different
The way someone speaks that shows their feelings or mood
The main meaning of something said, written or done
The special tone that makes voices or instruments sound different
The special sound of a voice or instrument that makes it different
The mood of sounds, especially a voice or music
The tone of a sound that makes instruments or voices sound different
Idioms
Compounds
- Specialized
The seventh note of a scale that is one half step below the main note and pulls toward it
- Specialized
A musical interval half the size of a semitone used in some modern and non-Western music
- Specialized
A higher sound made when the main note vibrates a whole number of times
- Specialized
A light balanced arm on a record player that holds the needle and moves across a record
- Specialized
A language where changes in voice pitch make words mean different things
How High
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word tone comes from the Greek tonos, which meant 'stretch' or 'tension'. So a musical or language tone is like the pitch of a tight string, because its tension changes the sound.