verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb

1. 1
   To intentionally lower or raise the pitch produced by a musical instrument, often to produce sounds not normally possible, or to reduce tension in a stringed instrument for the purpose of shipping or maintenance.

   "Some avant-garde composers request that performers detune their instruments before playing."

2. 2
   To alter the resonant frequency of a tuned system so that it is slightly different from a specified target frequency.

Synonyms

All synonyms

distuneuntune

Example

More examples

"Some avant-garde composers request that performers detune their instruments before playing."

Etymology

From de- + tune.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.