Word.ws English Dictionary

set the tone

set the tone verb: create the emotional quality to be expected for something.

Verb

set the tone (third-person singular simple present sets the tone, present participle setting the tone, simple past and past participle set the tone)

  1. Create the emotional quality to be expected for something.
    • Jesus, a comparative bargain at £45m, sets the tone with relentless pressing and goals that have already made him an indispensable part of Arteta's plans, while Zinchenko brings quality, calm and creation.2022 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham: Gunners show identity & direction in outstanding derby win”, in BBC Sport

Forms of set the tone

third-person singular presentsets the tone
present participlesetting the tone
past participleset the tone
pastset the tone

Questions about set the tone

What does set the tone mean?
Set the tone means create the emotional quality to be expected for something.
What part of speech is set the tone?
Set the tone is a verb.
What is the past tense of set the tone?
The past tense of set the tone is set the tone.

Words near set the tone in the dictionary

  1. set the record straight
  2. set the scene
  3. set the stage
  4. set the table
  5. set the Thames on fire
  6. set the tone
  7. set the wheels in motion
  8. set the world ablaze
  9. set the world afire
  10. set the world aflame
  11. set the world alight

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: set the tone (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “set the tone.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/set_the_tone. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.