tune in

verb

tuned in; tuning in; tunes in

transitive verb

: to listen to or view a broadcast of

tuned in the weather report

intransitive verb

1

: to listen to or view a broadcast

We tuned in to hear the election results.

2

: to understand and be aware of a situation

He was not tuned in to the needs of his staff.

Examples of tune in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While the program has produced lighter moments for political junkies, such as the Allison-Singleton banter, clips of occasional spats between panelists have made the show a messy must-watch for virtual viewers who casually tune in to the tussles on social media. —Jay Stahl, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026

Deadheads can tune in to listen to hi-res recordings from the Grateful Dead’s legendary vault on the brand new Play Dead app. —Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026

Most people probably aren’t tuning in to the show for civics lessons. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026

Given the number of viewers tuning in on the stream, Simon likened developing a Coachella set to performances like award shows and other TV spots, where the focus can’t be on the thousands watching in person, but the millions watching from the screen. —Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

tune in

verb

1

: to listen to or view a broadcast

tune in next week for the conclusion

2

: to pay attention to what is happening or to one's surroundings