tones (down)

verb

present tense third-person singular of tone (down)
as in tapers (off)

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tones (down)
  1. decreases
  2. muffles
  3. blunts
  4. numbs
  5. reduces
  6. mutes
  7. diminishes
  8. damps
Verb
  • Some peptides are naturally produced in the body, such as insulin; which is a hormone secreted by the pancreas that decreases blood sugar levels.
    — Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • As traffic in the waterway decreases, the oil market is facing the same squeeze that has taken millions of barrels offline per day since March.
    — Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
Definition of decreases
Verb
  • Although the snow sometimes muffles the thunder, the lightning can be seen, said meteorologist Grant Gilmore, formerly of WFMY-TV in Greensboro, North Carolina.
    — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 25 Nov. 2025
Definition of muffles
Verb
  • Several studies show that dietary fiber blunts the blood sugar response, helping prevent spikes and dips.
    — Brittany Lubeck, Verywell Health, 8 July 2026
  • The cinematography drains vitality from even its most visually obvious ideas with lighting that blunts the impact of nearly every other department.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of blunts
Verb
  • The slime of some species also numbs an attacker’s tongue, protecting them from predators.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 July 2026
  • This is the type of consistency that numbs fans from their love of the game.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
Definition of numbs
Verb
  • The airborne method also reduces long scheduling times at specialized facilities by finishing tests in one flight.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 29 July 2026
  • According to the Texas Department of Transportation, wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of dying in a car crash by 45 percent in passenger cars and 60 percent in pickup trucks.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 July 2026
Definition of reduces
Verb
  • The boom automatically mutes the microphone when lifted and can answer incoming calls simply by being lowered.
    — Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
  • Using a vegetable peeler, shave a modest amount of Parmesan onto a plate (a mound of grated Parmesan may look impressive, but all that clumpy cheese mutes the dressing).
    — Sue Li, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 June 2026
Definition of mutes
Verb
  • Fauci’s decision diminishes the potential for fireworks between Fauci and the chairman.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
  • Basic economics suggests that as the supply of food via grocery stores diminishes, prices rise.
    — Nathan Goldman, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of diminishes
Verb
  • Ash wood damps the micro-vibrations of rough urban pavement in a way aluminum and steel can't match without extra engineering.
    — Omar Kardoudi April 15, New Atlas, 15 Apr. 2026
  • While the standard model damps the road irregularities, the S feels more glued down, even in its softest setting, Sport.
    — Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 25 Feb. 2026
Definition of damps
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

tones
tones (down)
tones (up)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tones (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tones%20%28down%29. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All