tone
noun uk/təʊn/ us/toʊn/
(VOICE EXPRESSION)
B2 [ U ]（常指对听话人的）语气，腔调，口吻
a quality in the voice that expresses the speaker's feelings or thoughts, often towards the person being spoken to
I tried to use a sympathetic tone of voice. 我试着用一种同情的语气说话。
Don't speak to me in that tone of voice (= angrily), young lady! 小姐，别用那种语气跟我说话！
It wasn't so much what she said that annoyed me - it was her tone. 让我生气的不是她所说的话，而是她说话的语气。
tones[ plural ] literary 语气;语调
the quality of someone's voice
She recounted the story to me in shocked tones (= in a shocked voice). 她用震惊的语气向我叙述了这件事。
I could hear the low tones of my parents talking in the next room. 我听到我父母在隔壁房间低声说话。
For more than half a century, the reassuring tones of BBC newscasters have informed British television viewers about world events. 半个多世纪以来，英国广播公司的播音员用沉稳的语调向英国电视观众报道世界大事。
[ U ] phonetics specialized声调
a change in how high or low the voice is that can change the meaning of a word or sentence
- More examples
- She tends to adopt a falsely cheerful tone when she's upset about something.
- His gentle introductory tone modulates into a football coach's pre-game pep talk.
- It's that patronizing tone of hers that I can't bear.
- "We're so pleased to meet you at last, " he said in a respectful tone of voice.
- When he spoke his tone was accusatory.
(GENERAL MOOD)
C2 [ S ]风格；基调，格调；气氛
the general mood or main qualities of something
I didn't like the jokey tone of the article - I thought it was inappropriate. 我不喜欢这篇文章的搞笑风格——我觉得这不恰当。
Trust you to lower the tone of the evening by telling disgusting jokes, Mark! 马克，你讲粗俗的笑话肯定会把晚会的格调降下去！
Both candidates need to raise the tone of the campaign, as the electorate is tired of negative campaigning. 两位候选人都得提高活动格调，因为选民们已经受够了负面的竞选宣传。
He was in a very bad mood when he arrived, and that set the tone for the whole meeting. 他到的时候情绪很不好，这就决定了整个会议的气氛。
- More examples
- I found myself irritated by the adulatory tone of her biography.
- Dale lowered the tone of the evening by telling a dirty joke.
- The tone of the meeting was very pessimistic.
- The tone of the letter was placatory.
- The tone of his poetry is restrained and unemotional.
(COLOUR)
[ C ]色调
a form or degree of a colour
warm tones of brown and yellow 棕色和黄色这种暖色调
(TIGHTNESS)
[ U ]（尤指肌肉的）坚实，结实
the healthy tightness of the body, especially the muscles
After you've had a baby you lose the muscle tone in your stomach. 你生完孩子后，腹部的肌肉就失去了弹性。
(DIFFERENCE IN SOUND)
[ C ] mainly UK (US usually whole step)全音（指西洋音阶中相邻两音符之间最大的音差）
the largest difference in pitch between two notes that are next to each other in the western musical scale
The interval from G to A is a whole tone. 从 G 到 A 的音程是一个全音。
Compare: semitone
(MUSICAL QUALITY)
[ C or U ]音色;音质
the quality of sound of a musical instrument or singing voice
the beautiful rich tones of his tenor voice 他那美妙浑厚的男高音
(PHONE NOISE)
B2 [ C ]电话音
one of the continuous sounds that you hear on a phone that tell you if the other phone is ringing, if it is busy, etc.
I've called him several times but I keep getting the engaged tone. 我已经给他打了几次电话，但每次听到的都是忙音。
Please wait until you hear the dialling tone (= the sound that a phone makes when it is ready to be used). 请等到您听到拨号音。
tone
verb [ T ] uk/təʊn/ us/toʊn/ (also tone up)
（通常通过锻炼）使（身体部位）更强健
If you tone a part of the body, you make it firmer and stronger, usually by doing physical exercise.
This is a good exercise for toning up the thighs. 这种锻炼对增强大腿肌肉有好处。
Phrasal verbs
tone something down 使（通常指文章或讲话）缓和；使温和
to make something less forceful or offensive, usually a piece of writing or a speech
Some of the language in the original play has been toned down for the television version. 这部戏被拍成电视后，原剧中的一些语言已经被改得不那么激烈了。
tone in UK（颜色）相配
When colours tone in, they match and look pleasant together.
The green of your scarf tones in with your shoes. 你的绿围巾与鞋子正好相配。