intone

verb

in·​tone in-ˈtōn 

intoned; intoning

transitive verb

: to utter in musical or prolonged tones : recite in singing tones or in a monotone

intransitive verb

: to utter something in singing tones or in monotone

intoner noun

Synonyms

• chant
• sing

Examples of intone in a Sentence

“Coming soon to a theater near you,” the announcer intoned.

“The day is begun,” the narrator intoned

Recent Examples on the Web

Eric-the-junkie had intoned to his even-then-passé parents, old-schoolers bent on building systems that would stick, that the monks were celebrating the ephemeral beauty of physical existence. —Literary Hub, 9 July 2025

The rabbi intones psalms and speaks about his mother, offering recollections of her and the principal details of her life: birth in the embers of the Shoah, Yiddishkeit, Soviet existence, antisemitism, immigration, courage, struggle, family, community, legacy. —David Bezmozgis, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025

Also still present: a recorded voice intoning a once-familiar message over a loudspeaker. —Alena Botros, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2024

As a boxing match-style announcer intones some very iffy facts – 7’3 inches tall? —Greg Evans, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French entoner, from Medieval Latin intonare, from Latin in- + tonus tone

First Known Use

1513, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for intone

• alone
• atone
• backbone
• bemoan
• bluestone
• breastbone
• brownstone
• capstone
• cheekbone
• condone
• curbstone
• cyclone

Kids Definition

intone

verb

in·​tone in-ˈtōn 

intoned; intoning

: to utter in musical or prolonged tones : chant

intoner noun