Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use tonic in a sentence

33 example sentences · adjective, noun, verb

Tonic means pertaining to tension, especially of the muscles. Example: “The arrival of the new members had a tonic effect on the team.”

Examples of tonic by meaning

adjectivePertaining to tension, especially of the muscles.

  • Out in front and across the street, Doc noted half a dozen or so young men, not loitering or doing substances but poised and tonic, as if waiting for some standing order to take effect.2009, Thomas Pynchon, Inherent Vice, Vintage, published 2010, page 316

adjectiveRestorative; curative; or invigorating.

  • The arrival of the new members had a tonic effect on the team.

nounA substance with medicinal properties intended to restore or invigorate.

  • We used to brew a tonic from a particular kind of root.

nounSomeone or something that revitalises or reinvigorates.

  • 'You're a tonic, Dee,' she said.2011, Cathy Kelly, She's the One
  • The result is the perfect tonic for Newcastle, coming at the end of a week that saw the departure of Andy Carroll to Liverpool on Monday and an injury to Shola Ameobi during Wednesday's defeat at Fulham.2011 February 5, Paul Fletcher, “Newcastle 4 - 4 Arsenal”, in BBC

verbTo restore or invigorate.

  • This was their secret for some centuries—until the Assyrians learned about the elegance of fish for tonicking the brain.1939, Frank Grant Menke, Encyclopedia of Sports, page 17

More sentences with tonic

  • I like gin and tonic as a mixed drink, but I really prefer beer.From the entry mixed drink
  • Jesum Crow, why's the statie so upset? We're only drinking tonics out here.From the entry Jesum Crow
  • He fell back relieved into his favourite camelback with a gin and tonic.From the entry camelback
  • I felt faint after my fifth gin and tonic.From the entry faint
  • She drank gin and tonic by preference.From the entry gin and tonic
  • The bass drop—like the tonic cadence in tonal music—has become a convention of the style.2017, Tom Perchard, From Soul to Hip Hop, →ISBN. From the entry bass drop
  • I will have a tonic.” “What kind of tonic?” “Moxie.” “We don't have that.” “Birch beer.” “Nope.”2004 October 30, Jackson Publick & Doc Hammer, “Return to Spider-Skull Island” (9:45 from the start), in The Venture Bros., season 1…. From the entry birch beer
  • You are asking me about the tonics, it is but natural that I want them.2000, José Francisco Martins, Censored courtship, page 114. From the entry tonify
  • I drew a deep breath, this time fortunately unmixed with gin and tonic.1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XII, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC. From the entry coloratura
  • Utensils, herbs, medicine, liniments and tonics, farm implements, clothing, and potions.1959, “Mr. Denton on Doomsday” (16:29 from the start), in The Twilight Zone, season 1, episode 3, spoken by Henry J. Fate (Malcolm…. From the entry liniment
  • The galvonic current causes a tonic contraction, and this is the most serviceable form.1911 June, The Medical Times, volume 39, page 186. From the entry galvonic
  • Eaten alone as a munchie, added to tonic teas, or in tincture, all these sweet berries are superb.2022, Rachel Lord, “The Hepato-Biliary System”, in Clinical Herbalism: Plant Wisdom from East and West, St. Louis, Mo.: Elsevier, →ISBN…. From the entry munchie
  • Hot sauce helps—shrill, vinegary tonics or sweet, syrupy srirachas.2022, Ling Ma, “G”, in Bliss Montage, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN. From the entry pico de gallo
  • It is considered one of the healthiest sweeteners available, and often used as a tonic for healing wounds.2011, Mary D Martino, Natural Health: Alternatives and Prevention of Disease, page 365. From the entry stevia
  • It had a tonic effect, because it allowed me to reflect on the changes in my views over the years.2010, Diane Ravitch, The Death and Life of the Great American School System, page 1. From the entry ruminative
  • Tonic water's active ingredient is quinine, a chemical compound derived from the bark of the cinchona tree, native to South America.2009 Spring, Anthony Dias Blue, “Mixology: Gin & Tonic”, in Drinks, the Magazine of Fine Wine, Spirits, and Living, page 8. From the entry tonic water
  • One of the best-selling hair tonics was Vaseline hair tonic for men, manufactured by Chesebrough Manufacturing Company (later Chesebrough-Ponds).2006, Victoria Sherrow, Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History, page 375. From the entry hair tonic
  • Back in Jamaica, where both of them had been born, soursap juice was held in high esteem as an all-purpose tonic.2001, Frank Lauria, Blue Limbo: A Novel, Frog Limited, pages 3–4. From the entry soursap
  • G&T, Brian, and steady on the tonic.1999 February 3, Anthony Horowitz et al., “Strangler's Wood”, in Midsomer Murders. From the entry G&T
  • Bloodwort is bitter, aromatic, stimulant, and tonic.1993, H K Bakhru, Herbs that Heal, page 185. From the entry bloodwort
  • A putative love tonic was made from the water in which myrtle leaves and flowers had been steeped.1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 162. From the entry putative
  • What you need is a good nerve tonic.”1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter VIII, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC. From the entry neurotic
  • Sal Tone is a medicated salt tonic wormicide and conditioner.1913 January 25, “Give Hogs Sal Tone and Watch ’em Grow”, in Missouri Ruralist with Which is Combined the Breeders Special: A Weekly…. From the entry wormicide
  • I drew a deep breath, and a moment later wished I hadn't, because I drew it while drinking the remains of my gin and tonic.1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XI, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC. From the entry cough
  • “Fuchsia,” said the Doctor, “come along this evening and I’ll give you a tonic which you must make her take every day.1946, Mervyn Peake, Titus Groan, London: Eyre & Spottiswoode. From the entry amaranthine
  • Still, the night was young, and as he'd made his way to the bar to order Mistress Ramona a gin and tonic, he'd seen little in the way of play.2013, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Best Bondage Erotica 2014. From the entry play
  • Gentian has been used for centuries as a tonic to aid digestion; and it is currently employed in the manufacture of apertives and bitters, notably Gentiane, a Swiss digestive liquor.1979, Jane I. LaRue, Guide to selected medicinal herbs, page 10. From the entry apertive

Meaning of tonic

  1. adjective Pertaining to tension, especially of the muscles.
  2. adjective Restorative; curative; or invigorating.
  3. adjective In a state of continuous unremitting action.

Full definition of tonic

Questions about tonic in a sentence

How do you use tonic in a sentence?
Tonic is used as an adjective, noun and verb. For example: “The arrival of the new members had a tonic effect on the team.”
What is a short sentence with tonic?
“'You're a tonic, Dee,' she said.”
What does tonic mean?
Tonic means pertaining to tension, especially of the muscles.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: tonic (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use tonic in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/tonic. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.