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

to tune up

1 3.4
To adjust a musical instrument so it plays the correct notes
  • phrasal verb
  • /tun ʌp/
translation icon : afinar
  • A Brownfield High band member tuned up his trumpet, and another rat-a-tat-tatted sporadically on a snare drum.
  • tune up their instruments
  • band tunes up

I tuned it up, then I tuned up the top head.

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Examples

  • I tuned it up, then I tuned up the top head.

    Rick Beato

  • An hour later, Chase shakes the cramp out of his hand and watches as the band tunes up.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • There's something live, this is Synthopolis TV and he's tuning up a banjo here.

    Rick Beato

  • At last, the season finally turns warmer, and the bells of St. Agnes tune up for Easter, shaking the walls of my apartment with their tympany.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Before the concert, the musicians always tune up their instruments to ensure they sound perfect.

  • The orchestra will tune up for the performance right before the audience arrives.

  • As the showtime approached, the band members gathered to tune up and rehearse their final pieces.

Synonyms

to adjust
vsto tune up
317 2.7

To change something so it is in the right position or works correctly

refers specifically to setting musical pitch or tone rather than any change
to tune
vsto tune up
163 1.8

Adjust an instrument so it plays the correct notes

is about reaching a chosen pitch or tone rather than only correct notes
to fine-tune
vsto tune up
26 4.2

To make small changes so something works better

involves larger initial pitch setting to reach correct or desired tone
to temper
vsto tune up
  • Specialized
1 8.3

Adjust a musical instrument so its notes sound good together

aims to set pitch or tone to a chosen standard rather than a temperament
to retune
vsto tune up
1 4.5

Adjust a musical instrument so it sounds in tune

focuses on setting pitch to a desired tone not merely improving sound

Antonyms

to detune
  • Specialized
1 6.6

To change a musical instrument so its pitch is different from normal

to mistune
8.1

Make a musical instrument sound at the wrong pitch

How Tuned

to fine-tune
26 4.2
to tune up
1 3.4
to detune
  • Specialized
1 6.6

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 musicians tightening or loosening strings and turning pegs until the notes are correct; they tune the instrument up to the right pitch, so tune up means 'to adjust the pitch'.