tune-up

[ toon-uhp, tyoon- ]
See synonyms for tune-up on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an adjustment, as of a motor, to improve working order or condition: The car needs a tune-up badly.

  2. Informal. a preparatory activity or warm-up, as before a contest or game: The track meet served as a tune-up for the Olympics.

Origin of tune-up

1
First recorded in 1945–50; noun use of verb phrase tune up

Words Nearby tune-up

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tune-up in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tune up

tune up

verb(adverb)
  1. to adjust (a musical instrument) to a particular pitch, esp a standard one

  2. (esp of an orchestra or other instrumental ensemble) to tune (instruments) to a common pitch

  1. (tr) to adjust (an engine) in (a car, etc) to improve performance

nountune-up
  1. adjustments made to an engine to improve its performance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with tune-up

tune-up

Adjust machinery so it is in proper condition, as in I took the car in to be tuned up. [Early 1900s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.