FINE-TUNE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does fine-tune mean? 

• FINE-TUNE (verb)
  The verb FINE-TUNE has 3 senses:

1. improve or perfect by pruning or polishing

2. adjust finely

3. make fine adjustments or divide into marked intervals for optimal measuring

  Familiarity information: FINE-TUNE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FINE-TUNE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they fine-tune    ... he / she / it fine-tunes   
Past simple: fine-tuned   
Past participle: fine-tuned   
-ing form: fine-tuning   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Improve or perfect by pruning or polishing

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

down; fine-tune; polish; refine

Context example:

refine one's style of writing

Hypernyms (to "fine-tune" is one way to...):

ameliorate; amend; better; improve; meliorate (to make better)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fine-tune"):

over-refine; overrefine (refine too much or with excess of subtlety)

civilise; civilize; cultivate; educate; school; train (teach or refine to be discriminative in taste or judgment)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sense 2

Meaning:

Adjust finely

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

fine-tune; tweak

Context example:

fine-tune the engine

Hypernyms (to "fine-tune" is one way to...):

tune; tune up (adjust for (better) functioning)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Make fine adjustments or divide into marked intervals for optimal measuring

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

calibrate; fine-tune; graduate

Context example:

graduate a cylinder

Hypernyms (to "fine-tune" is one way to...):

adjust; correct; set (alter or regulate so as to achieve accuracy or conform to a standard)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

They eventually fine-tuned a protocol that involved 5 different growth media and 11 different factors.

(Developing Insulin-Producing Cells to Treat Diabetes, NIH)

Researchers say the migration indexes can help address a gap in scientists' knowledge about the cues birds use to fine-tune migration timing in response to climate.

(Seasonality of bird migration responds to environmental cues, NSF)

Additional experiments showed that Xi may regulate movement by fine-tuning levels of certain carbohydrates, such as trehalose, which is the main sugar found in flies and is similar to mammalian glucose.

(Gut bacteria may control movement, National Institutes of Health)

However, esearchers compared mitochondrial and nuclear DNA from tens of thousands of people and found that mitochondria may be fine-tuned to the nucleus.

(Interplay between mitochondria and the nucleus may have implications for changing cell’s ‘batteries’, University of Cambridge)

This requires fine-tuned regulation of brain systems that enable rapid responses to changes in the environment, such as those involved in sleep, wakefulness, stress, and reward-seeking.

(Researchers identify key brain circuits for reward-seeking and avoidance behavior, National Institutes of Health)