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to tone

to tone

30 3.9
To make muscles firmer and more defined by exercise
  • verb
  • /toʊn/
translation icon : tonificar
  • This is a great way to tone and strengthen your upper legs.
  • tone the body

One of my main goals for this year was to work on my fitness, but not lose weight, but just kind of tone in places, namely my bottom.

Examples

  • I can help you tone that body up in no time.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Her features were rounded but not unpleasant, and her body was toned from daily aerobic exercise.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • That's basically to tone my arms and like my back.

  • Yeah, she could definitely do with toning up.

  • The squeeze-rod is your answer if you want to tone up your arm muscles...

  • He's got the finely toned body of a pro golfer.

  • Regular workouts can help you tone your stomach muscles effectively.

  • She does yoga every morning to tone her legs and improve flexibility.

  • Lifting weights can tone your muscles and enhance your overall strength.

Synonyms

to strengthen
vsto tone
327 3.0

To make muscles, relationships, or groups stronger

limits this action to firming and defining muscles and body shape
to work out
vsto tone
155 2.0

To exercise to improve your health

names the specific result of such activity, firming muscles and definition
to tone up
vsto tone
1 3.8

To make muscles firmer and stronger by exercise

includes methods beyond exercise such as treatments and therapies
to tonify
vsto tone
  • Specialized
8.3

To make the body or its parts stronger and firmer

focuses specifically on firming muscles through exercise or treatment

Antonyms

305 2.8

To make people and things less strong or effective

Idioms

Not able or willing to notice how other people feel

Phrasal Verbs

44 3.7

To make something less strong, for example a sound, color or feeling

Create a mood at the start of an event

1 3.8

To make muscles firmer and stronger by exercise

To make the skin look firmer and more even using skin care

Compounds

28 3.1

The way someone speaks that shows their feelings or mood

muscle tone
  • Specialized
8 3.4

A little tightness in resting muscles that keeps them ready to move

tone-deaf
  • Offensive
6 7.7

Not aware of other people's feelings or reactions

1 7.0

Unable to hear or sing the right notes in music

tone poem
  • Specialized
1 8.0

A piece for orchestra that tells a story or paints a scene

A way of speaking that sounds happy and friendly

pure tone
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A steady sound with one clear pitch, like a tuning fork

A way of speaking or writing that sounds too sweet and not real

whole tone
  • Specialized
1 6.6

An interval of two semitones used in many musical scales

chest tone
  • Specialized
7.5

A low, rich voice sound that people feel in the chest

A soft, gentle voice that makes people feel calm

12-tone music
  • Specialized
9.1

A way of writing music that uses all twelve notes in a fixed order

12-tone system
  • Specialized
9.3

A way of writing music that uses all twelve notes in a fixed order

leading tone
  • Specialized
8.4

The seventh note of a scale that is one half step below the main note and pulls toward it

A calm even way of speaking that does not show strong feeling

head tone
  • Specialized
8.0

A high singing voice that feels like it rings in the head

A normal relaxed way of speaking that sounds honest

quarter tone
  • Specialized
8.7

A musical interval half the size of a semitone used in some modern and non-Western music

quarter-tone
  • Specialized
9.3

A small musical interval half a semitone used in some music

partial tone
  • Specialized
7.7

A higher sound made when the main note vibrates a whole number of times

passing tone
  • Specialized
7.8

A note played between two main notes to make the tune move smoothly

tarnal tone
  • Archaic
9.9

A harsh way of speaking that annoys people who hear it

tone arm
  • Specialized
7.1

A light balanced arm on a record player that holds the needle and moves across a record

Unable to hear differences between musical notes

Not noticing or understanding other people's feelings in what they say

tone language
  • Specialized
8.1

A language where changes in voice pitch make words mean different things

tone-beginning
  • Specialized
8.6

How a musical note begins, showing if it sounds clear or strong

tone police
  • Offensive
7.9

People who criticize how someone speaks instead of what they say

tone system
  • Specialized
7.0

A way a language uses high or low voice to change word meaning

twelve-tone music
  • Specialized
8.6

A way of writing music that uses the twelve notes in a set order

twelve-tone system
  • Specialized
9.9

A way of writing music that uses all twelve notes in one order

A way of speaking that is too friendly and seems not sincere

How Firm

to harden
27 2.6
to strengthen
327 3.0
to tone
30 3.9
to soften
55 1.3
to relax
78 1.0

Surface Forms

tone infinitive
toned past
toned past participle
toning present participle
tones third person singular

Etymology

The verb tone comes from the Greek tonos, meaning 'tension'. So to tone your muscles is to increase their tension and make them firmer and more defined.