Word.ws English Dictionary

setting the tone

setting the tone is the present participle and gerund of set the tone.

Meaning of set the tone

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

Questions about setting the tone

What is setting the tone the present participle and gerund of?
Setting the tone is the present participle and gerund of set the tone.

Words near setting the tone in the dictionary

  1. setting the pace
  2. setting the record straight
  3. setting the stage
  4. setting the table
  5. setting the Thames on fire
  6. setting the tone
  7. setting the wheels in motion
  8. setting the world on fire
  9. setting the world to rights
  10. setting time
  11. setting times

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: setting the tone (page history and authors); 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: “setting the tone.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/setting_the_tone. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.