tune out

verb

|Updated on: 20 Aug 2018

Definition of tune out

transitive verb

: to become unresponsive to : ignore

intransitive verb

: to dissociate oneself from what is happening or one's surroundings

See tune out defined for kids

Recent Examples of tune out from the Web

Americans ultimately reject extremes, often tempering the power of an executive with one ideology by installing a legislature with another, tuning out or voting out voices that lead to the edges.

— alberto ibargüen, star-telegram, "Support local news –it’s crucial to our lives and our democracy," 5 July 2018
And though that experience more than a decade ago probably had little bearing on the logistics of his performance, the 48-year-old on Saturday credited his ability to keep calm and tune out the course for his score.

— joan niesen, SI.com, "USGA's Unplayable Course at Shinnecock 'Totally Gone' in Third Round of U.S. Open," 16 June 2018
But the exit measurement that really will make the NFL take notice is whether a growing number of fans get turned off and tune out over what the league is or isn't doing to bring everyone together.

— eric scott, chicagotribune.com, "Column: NFL builds tower of irony with new national anthem policy," 14 June 2018
Climate alarm is like a car alarm—a blaring noise people are tuning out.

— steven f. hayward, WSJ, "Climate Change Has Run Its Course," 4 June 2018
Cheddar’s founder, Jon Steinberg, says the deal will give his company access to an audience of influential millennials who have largely tuned out traditional television and advertising.

— benjamin mullin, WSJ, "Streaming Service Cheddar Targets College Students After Acquiring MTV Campus Distribution Network," 31 May 2018
Even if fans do tune out because of a perception that the ’18–’19 season will merely be a competition for the title of runner-up, the NBA and the NBPA will realize that and take action.

— michael mccann, SI.com, "DeMarcus Cousins and the NBA's Efforts to Keep Competitive Balance," 3 July 2018
Venus Williams has tuned out all manner of distractions on her way to becoming one of the most successful women to set foot on a tennis court.

— sean gregory, Time, "Venus Williams Is Still in the Game—On and Off the Court," 21 June 2018
Hilary and Dana suggest that people tune out the pathological messages aimed at them by consumer culture — the idea that their value resides in a number on a scale, in virtuous deprivation — and instead tune into their own bodies.

— cheryl strayed, New York Times, "Is Avoiding My Body Issues an Issue?," 12 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tune out.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.