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Glite Dictionary
🔧 To service 🎸 To adjust pitch
to tune up

to tune up

2 3.9
To make a machine or instrument work better by checking and fixing it
  • phrasal verb
  • /tun ʌp/
translation icon : ajustar
  • He takes his time to tune up the lawnmower every spring so it works efficiently throughout the season.
  • tune up the car

Examples

  • So let's tune up this TV here and see how many channels it's picking up.

  • Tomorrow he's just gonna tune up your car, right?

    Thirteen (2003)

  • It keeps stopping in wet weather, so I had the guy down the alley tune it up for me.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • He'd taken his Cutlass and left me the old Mustang, urging me to tune it up before I headed out.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Tune up the car yourself (the very old ones are much easier to work on, and you don’t pay high sales taxes and registration fees).

    Blog text (20)

  • Before the long trip, I need to tune up my car to ensure it runs smoothly.

  • It's important to tune up the bicycle before the race to avoid any mechanical issues.

Synonyms

to tune
vsto tune up
  • Specialized
125 3.2

Adjust a machine or system so it works better

is broader, including servicing and preparing machines to work at their best
to fine-tune
vsto tune up
26 4.2

To make small changes so something works better

focuses on larger servicing and overall preparation rather than tiny changes
to recalibrate
vsto tune up
  • Specialized
21 6.5

Adjust a device or instrument so it works correctly

aims more generally to make machines work well, not only accuracy fixes
to retune
vsto tune up
1 4.5

Adjust a musical instrument so it sounds in tune

applies to any machine or instrument and includes servicing and preparation

Antonyms

to neglect
256 3.8

Fail to care for someone or something you should look after

How Thorough

to rebuild
485 2.8
overhaul
73 5.1
to tune up
2 3.9
to service
31 3.2
to adjust
317 2.7

Surface Forms

tune up infinitive
tuned up past
tuned up past participle
tuning up present participle
tunes up third person singular

Morphology

tune + up

The meaning 'to adjust an instrument so its notes are correct' is directly derivable from 'tune' (to alter an instrument) with the particle 'up' adding a completive/improving sense. This verb+up compositional pattern is regular in English and cross-linguistically recognizable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand the MWE.

Etymology

Tune up comes from the image of making a machine 'sing' like a musical instrument: a mechanic adjusts parts and settings until the engine runs smoothly, so tune up means 'to adjust or service so it works well'.