tune up
verb
Simple meaning
To make adjustments to improve its performance.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
toonuhpSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtuˈnʌp
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
To make adjustments (to an engine or bicycle drivetrain) in order to improve its performance.
To begin to sing or play music.
To make preparations for vigorous exercise; to warm up.
To beat up (someone).
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To make adjustments (to an engine or bicycle drivetrain) in order to improve its performance.
Used this way, tune up is a reasonably familiar word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API (CC BY-SA 3.0). Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.