To set the tone
Example: Her smile helped to set the tone for the meeting.
Definition
"To set the tone" means to establish the mood, attitude, or atmosphere for a situation or event. For example, when someone’s behavior or actions influence how others feel or act, like her smile helping to set the tone for the meeting, it shapes the overall environment.
Etymology
The phrase "to set the tone" originates from music, where setting the tone means establishing the key or pitch before playing. Over time, it evolved into a metaphor for creating an initial mood or attitude in various contexts, not just musical ones.
Learn to use this expression actively
"To set the tone" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (C2) - set 1", containing 106 commonly used expressions.
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