1a musical or vocal sound with reference to its pitch, quality, and strength:they were speaking in hushed tonesthe piano tone appears lacking in warmth
a modulation of the voice expressing a particular feeling or mood:a firm tone of voice
a musical note or other sound used as a signal on a telephone or answering machine.
2the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.:trust her to lower the tone of the conversationthere was a general tone of ill-concealed glee in the reporting
[mass noun] informal an atmosphere of respectability or class:they don’t feel he gives the place tone
3 (also whole tone) a basic interval in classical Western music, equal to two semitones and separating, for example, the first and second notes of an ordinary scale (such as C and D, or E and F sharp); a major second:the B flat clarinet’s part is written one tone higher than the pitch required
4the particular quality of brightness, deepness, or hue of a shade of a colour:stained glass in vivid tones of red and blue [mass noun]:an attractive colour which is even in tone and texture
[mass noun] the general effect of colour or of light and shade in a picture.
a slight degree of difference in the intensity of a colour.
5 Phonetics (in some languages, such as Chinese) a particular pitch pattern on a syllable used to make semantic distinctions.
(in some languages, such as English) intonation on a word or phrase used to add functional meaning.
6 (also muscle tone) [mass noun] the normal level of firmness or slight contraction in a resting muscle:a reduction of muscle tonea certain amount of daily exercise is essential to maintain proper body tone and function
Physiology the normal level of activity in a nerve fibre:vagal tone
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Universal
1give greater strength or firmness to (the body or a muscle):exercise tones up the muscles
[no object] (tone up) (of a muscle or other bodily part) became stronger or firmer:his leg muscles had toned up
2 [no object] (tone with) harmonize with (something) in terms of colour:the rich orange colour of the wood tones beautifully with the yellow roses
3 Photography give (a monochrome picture) an altered colour in finishing by means of a chemical solution:it’s a good idea to sepia tone the whole print first
tone something down
make something less harsh in sound or colour:a green-tinged moisturizer helps to tone down a ruddy complexion
make something less extreme or intense:she saw the need to tone down her protests
