Tune I Piano Somebody/Something Noun Tjuːn Tuːn Sing/Whistle

• to sing/whistle a tune
• he was humming a familiar tune.
• i can play a few tunes on the piano.
• i don't know the title but i recognize the tune.

tune

1. a series of musical notes that are sung or played in a particular order to form a piece of music
• SEE ALSO signature tune
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/signature-tune
• to sing/whistle a tune
• He was humming a familiar tune.
• I can play a few tunes on the piano.
• I don't know the title but I recognize the tune.
• It was a catchy tune (= easy to remember).
• a football song sung to the tune of (= using the tune of) ‘When the saints go marching in’
• a show/dance/pop tune

Extra Examples

• The kids were picking out a popular tune on the old piano.
• a collection of classic tunes
• an old jazz tune
• He wasn't allowed in the choir because he couldn't hold a tune (= sing the correct notes).
2. to be/not be singing or playing the correct musical notes to sound pleasant
• None of them could sing in tune.
• The piano is out of tune.
3. to be/not be in agreement with somebody/something; to have/not have the same opinions, feelings, interests, etc. as somebody/something
• These proposals are perfectly in tune with our own thoughts on the subject.
• The President is out of tune with public opinion.
4. to be the person who controls a situation
5. to express a different opinion or behave in a different way when your situation changes
• Wait until it happens to him—he'll soon change his tune.
6. to do whatever somebody tells you to
7. the person who provides the money for something can also control how it is spent
8. to behave in a different way from other people; to have different attitudes or ideas
• She was a gifted and original artist who marched to a different drummer.
9. to change your opinion about somebody/something or your attitude towards somebody/something
10. used to emphasize how much money something has cost
• The hotel has been refurbished to the tune of a million dollars.

Word Origin

• late Middle English: unexplained alteration of tone. The verb is first recorded (late 15th cent.) in the sense ‘celebrate in music, sing’.