- ˌtone sth ˈdown
- phrasal verb
to make something less severe, shocking, or offensive
Dictionary for writing and speaking English. 2014.
Dictionary for writing and speaking English. 2014.
tone — 1 noun 1 VOICE SHOWING FEELING (C) (plural) the way your voice sounds that shows how you are feeling, or what you mean: “Why would I lie?” Nora asked in an injured tone. | She spoke in warm tones about her family. | tone of voice spoken (=used… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
tone*/ — [təʊn] noun I 1) [C/U] the sound of someone s voice that shows what they are feeling His tone was angry.[/ex] ‘Really? Simone said in a disbelieving tone of voice.[/ex] 2) [singular/U] the general character of something The positive tone of the… … Dictionary for writing and speaking English
tone — tone1 W2 [təun US toun] n ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(voice)¦ 2¦(sound)¦ 3¦(general feeling/attitude)¦ 4¦(colour)¦ 5¦(electronic sound)¦ 6 raise/lower the tone (of something) 7¦(body)¦ 8¦(music)¦ 9¦(voice level)¦ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ [Date … Dictionary of contemporary English
play something down — MAKE LIGHT OF, make little of, gloss over, de emphasize, downplay, understate; soft pedal, tone down, diminish, trivialize, underrate, underestimate, undervalue; disparage, belittle, scoff at, sneer at, shrug off; … Useful english dictionary
set — set1 W1S1 [set] v past tense and past participle set present participle setting ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(put)¦ 2¦(put into surface)¦ 3¦(story)¦ 4¦(consider)¦ 5¦(establish something)¦ 6¦(start something happening)¦ 7¦(decide something)¦ … Dictionary of contemporary English
set — 1 /set/ verb past tense and past participle set PUT DOWN 1 PUT (transitive always + adv/prep) to carefully put something down somewhere, especially something that is difficult to carry: set sth down/on etc: She set the tray down on a table next… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
hold — 1 verb past tense and past participle held IN YOUR HANDS/ARMS 1 a) (T) to have something firmly in your hand or arms: He was holding a knife in one hand. | Can you hold the groceries for me while I open the door? | I held the baby in my arms. |… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
lower — 1 adjective 1 (only before noun) below something else, especially beneath something of the same type: Nina chewed her lower lip anxiously. | the lower limbs (=legs) 2 (only before noun) at or near the bottom of something: the lower slopes of the… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
voice — {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun 1 sounds you make when speaking or singing ADJECTIVE ▪ beautiful, fine, good, lovely, pleasant, sweet ▪ She has a beautiful singing voice. ▪ … Collocations dictionary
Belfast — This article is about the capital of Northern Ireland. For other uses, see Belfast (disambiguation). Coordinates: 54°35′49″N 5°55′48″W / 54.597°N 5.930°W / … Wikipedia