a musical or vocal sound with reference to its pitch, quality, and strength

they were speaking in hushed tones

the piano tone appears lacking in warmth

the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.

my friend and I lowered the tone with our oafish ways

there was a general tone of ill-concealed glee in the reporting

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

the particular quality of brightness, deepness, or hue of a shade of a colour

stained glass in vivid tones of red and blue

an attractive colour which is even in tone and texture

(in some languages, such as Chinese) a particular pitch pattern on a syllable used to make semantic distinctions

the normal level of firmness or slight contraction in a resting muscle

a reduction of muscle tone

a certain amount of daily exercise is essential to maintain proper body tone and function

give greater strength or firmness to (the body or a muscle)

push-ups help tone your abs

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