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

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The Tuesday-njght games will help set the tone for even bigger efforts. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025 His dominance set the tone early, while Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts added crucial insurance runs late to seal the victory. Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025 Ralph Lauren set the tone with an exclusive Diwali event at The Nilaya Anthology in Mumbai, hosted in collaboration with the Aditya Birla Group, the brand’s retail partner in India. Mayu Saini, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2025 Leaders set the tone by modeling composure, adaptability and balance. Elan Gepner-Dales, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for 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 24 Oct. 2025.

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