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
Recent Examples on the Web
NBCUniversal set the tone for the week when its Monday morning presentation kicked off with the trailer for feature film Wicked that was screened exclusively for attendees before it was released wide the following day.
—
Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2024
The University of Denver men’s lacrosse team set the tone early with seven goals in the opening 15 minutes of its first-round NCAA Tournament game against Michigan, then kept the Wolverines at arm’s length the rest of the way to claim a 16-11 win at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
—The Denver Post, 11 May 2024
But that was certainly not the case Friday, as Edwards looked somewhat lifeless, which set the tone for Minnesota in its blowout defeat at Target Center.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 11 May 2024
Sweeping views of the San Isidro Valley and the sounds of bird singing set the tone for a magical stay at the 50-casita resort, which covers 180 acres of tropical forests, a coffee farm, stables, and organic gardens.
—Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2024
Those party favors set the tone Wednesday at the site of the Margaritaville Hotel in Kansas City, Kansas, as developers and stakeholders witnessed the placement of a final wall panel hoisted by crane.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2024
The first few months of our relationship set the tone for how we would eventually get married.
—Tommy Dorfman, Vogue, 2 May 2024
And these were the same Giants that one night earlier played what manager Bob Melvin called the best game of the year, a 5-0 win in which Logan Webb very much set the tone with seven innings of shutout ball.
—Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024
The European Union, meanwhile, has already ratified a provisional agreement setting AI rules that could set the tone for how other countries acts next.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2024
The University of Denver men’s lacrosse team set the tone early with seven goals in the opening 15 minutes of its first-round NCAA Tournament game against Michigan, then kept the Wolverines at arm’s length the rest of the way to claim a 16-11 win at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
—The Denver Post, 11 May 2024
But that was certainly not the case Friday, as Edwards looked somewhat lifeless, which set the tone for Minnesota in its blowout defeat at Target Center.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 11 May 2024
Sweeping views of the San Isidro Valley and the sounds of bird singing set the tone for a magical stay at the 50-casita resort, which covers 180 acres of tropical forests, a coffee farm, stables, and organic gardens.
—Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2024
Those party favors set the tone Wednesday at the site of the Margaritaville Hotel in Kansas City, Kansas, as developers and stakeholders witnessed the placement of a final wall panel hoisted by crane.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2024
The first few months of our relationship set the tone for how we would eventually get married.
—Tommy Dorfman, Vogue, 2 May 2024
And these were the same Giants that one night earlier played what manager Bob Melvin called the best game of the year, a 5-0 win in which Logan Webb very much set the tone with seven innings of shutout ball.
—Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024
The European Union, meanwhile, has already ratified a provisional agreement setting AI rules that could set the tone for how other countries acts next.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'set the tone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near 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 20 May. 2024.
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