set the tone
idiom
: to establish a quality, feeling, or attitude by a manner of speaking or writing
Her lighthearted question set the tone for the rest of the interview.
Examples of set the tone in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The race’s winner come 2025 and the ultimate political makeup of the Texas House will likely set the tone of the session.
—
Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2024
Sounds of the Friday night drum circle fill the air as a light mist falls, and the moody mountains set the tone for my first night.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 29 May 2024
After showing her power with two home runs and a double Friday, Maya Brady set the tone Friday with two singles that led to two runs and one RBI.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2024
NBCUniversal set the tone for the week when its Monday morning presentation kicked off with the trailer for feature film Wicked that was screened exclusively for attendees before it was released wide the following day.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2024
The University of Denver men’s lacrosse team set the tone early with seven goals in the opening 15 minutes of its first-round NCAA Tournament game against Michigan, then kept the Wolverines at arm’s length the rest of the way to claim a 16-11 win at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
—The Denver Post, 11 May 2024
But that was certainly not the case Friday, as Edwards looked somewhat lifeless, which set the tone for Minnesota in its blowout defeat at Target Center.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 11 May 2024
Sweeping views of the San Isidro Valley and the sounds of bird singing set the tone for a magical stay at the 50-casita resort, which covers 180 acres of tropical forests, a coffee farm, stables, and organic gardens.
—Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2024
Those party favors set the tone Wednesday at the site of the Margaritaville Hotel in Kansas City, Kansas, as developers and stakeholders witnessed the placement of a final wall panel hoisted by crane.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2024
Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2024
Sounds of the Friday night drum circle fill the air as a light mist falls, and the moody mountains set the tone for my first night.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 29 May 2024
After showing her power with two home runs and a double Friday, Maya Brady set the tone Friday with two singles that led to two runs and one RBI.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2024
NBCUniversal set the tone for the week when its Monday morning presentation kicked off with the trailer for feature film Wicked that was screened exclusively for attendees before it was released wide the following day.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2024
The University of Denver men’s lacrosse team set the tone early with seven goals in the opening 15 minutes of its first-round NCAA Tournament game against Michigan, then kept the Wolverines at arm’s length the rest of the way to claim a 16-11 win at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
—The Denver Post, 11 May 2024
But that was certainly not the case Friday, as Edwards looked somewhat lifeless, which set the tone for Minnesota in its blowout defeat at Target Center.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 11 May 2024
Sweeping views of the San Isidro Valley and the sounds of bird singing set the tone for a magical stay at the 50-casita resort, which covers 180 acres of tropical forests, a coffee farm, stables, and organic gardens.
—Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2024
Those party favors set the tone Wednesday at the site of the Margaritaville Hotel in Kansas City, Kansas, as developers and stakeholders witnessed the placement of a final wall panel hoisted by crane.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'set the tone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near set the tone
Cite this Entry
“Set the tone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/set%20the%20tone. Accessed 1 Jun. 2024.
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