tuner
tuner
Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
The standard phonetic spelling for tuner varies slightly between major dialects:
General American: /ˈtuːnər/
Received Pronunciation (UK): /ˈtjuːnə/ or /ˈt͡ʃuːnə/
The word is broken into two syllables: tu·ner.
Syllable 1 (tu-):
/ˈtuː/ (American): Starts with a 't' sound (t), followed by a long 'oo' sound (uː) as in "blue" or "food."
/ˈtjuː/ (UK): Often includes a 'y' sound (j) after the 't', making it sound like "tyoo."
Syllable 2 (-ner):
/nər/ (American): A simple 'n' sound (n) followed by a schwa + r (ɚ), the 'er' sound in "teacher" or "butter."
/nə/ (UK): An 'n' sound (n) followed by a schwa (ə), the unstressed 'a' sound in "sofa."
Word Form Variations
Singular: tuner
Plural: tuners
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
A person whose job is to adjust musical instruments (like pianos or guitars) to their correct pitch.
Synonyms: pitch-corrector, calibrator (technical)
Antonyms: N/A
An electronic device used to adjust a musical instrument to the correct pitch by detecting and displaying the frequency of a note.
Synonyms: pitch pipe (archaic), pitchfork, chromatic tuner
Antonyms: N/A
The component in a radio, television, or stereo system that isolates and selects a specific broadcast frequency from the airwaves, allowing you to "tune in" to a particular station.
Synonyms: receiver, radio, dial
Antonyms: N/A
Examples of Use
In Books (as a person)
In literature, "tuner" most often refers to a piano tuner, a profession that lends itself to character development.
In Daniel Mason's novel The Piano Tuner, the plot centers on a protagonist whose profession is his identity: "In 1886 a shy, middle-aged piano tuner named Edgar Drake receives an unusual commission from the British War Office to travel to the remote jungles of northeast Burma." (Goodreads)
Another novel, also titled The Piano Tuner by Chiang-Sheng Kuo, uses the profession metaphorically: "At the heart of the story is the nameless narrator, the piano tuner. In his forties... he was once a musical prodigy." (Barnes & Noble)
In Newspapers & Online News (as an electronic component)
In news and technical reporting, "tuner" refers to the electronic component that receives broadcast signals.
Discussing the rollout of new broadcast standards, tech publications frequently mention the hardware needed to receive them: "Accessing these broadcasts requires an ATSC 3.0 tuner, and most TVs don't have one." (PCWorld, Oct 2025)
Reporting on industry changes, news outlets cover the manufacturing of these components: "The FCC's FNPRM seeks public comment on several other critical issues, including... the potential requirement for all new U.S. televisions to include ATSC 3.0 tuners." (FinancialContent, Oct 2025)
In Online Publications & E-commerce (as a musical device)
Music-focused websites, blogs, and online stores review, compare, and sell tuners as essential accessories for musicians.
A review on a music gear site might compare different models: "In my opinion, the best option right now is the TC Electronic Polytune Clip... The best clip-on tuners will work on a variety of guitars." (Guitar World, Oct 2025)
Another review might rank them by features: "For the overall best clip-on tuner, we've gone for the Peterson Stroboclip HD. It's accurate... and features a bright, easily readable LED display." (MusicRadar, Aug 2025)
In Automotive Culture (as a person or company)
In the car world, a "tuner" is a person or, more commonly, a company that specializes in modifying vehicles for higher performance.
A car blog, reporting on a celebrity's custom vehicle, might state: "Black Eyed Peas member Will.i.am is known for his crazy cars, so much so that he started his own car tuner shop called 'IAMAUTO'." (TechEBlog)
A press release about a marketing campaign might involve this community: "As part of the campaign, artists will be able to build a car in partnership with a car tuner shop." (autoevolution)
In Entertainment & Public Discourse (general use)
In everyday life, "tuner" is used in casual conversation, on social media, or in forums, often in a problem-solving context.
A musician asking for advice on a forum: "What is the best clip-on tuner for gigs? I've heard the ones by Snark can be unreliable in loud settings."
Someone troubleshooting their home entertainment system: "I can't get any local channels. I think the tuner in my TV might be broken."
A character in a movie or TV show, trying to get a signal on an old radio: "Keep fiddling with the tuner... you almost had the station!"
10 Famous Quotes Using Tuner
Conscience is the perfect tuner of the soul. (Christian Nestell Bovee)
A critic is a tuner who boasts that he is the only one who knows how to play the piano. (P.K. Thomajan)
We are not tuners, we are engineers. (Alois Ruf)
I’m just a tuner, and the piano is the client. (Haruki Murakami, After Dark)
He was, he thought, a tuner of pianos, his business was analyzing sound. (Daniel Mason, The Piano Tuner)
The factory builds the engine, but the tuner gives it a soul.
A novice musician checks his tuner constantly; a master trusts his ear.
A great teacher is a tuner for the mind, adjusting the tension of thought until it resonates clearly.
The old analog tuner required a steady hand to separate the static from the signal.
He fumbled for the remote, desperate to find a channel the cable tuner had somehow missed.
Etymology
In easy-to-understand terms, the word tuner is a simple and logical combination of two parts: the verb "tune" and the suffix "-er."
The Suffix (-er): In English, we add "-er" to the end of an action word (a verb) to create a noun for the person or thing that does that action. For example, a person who teaches is a "teacher," and a thing that heats is a "heater."
The Root (tune): The word "tune" itself is just a different spelling of "tone." It came into English from the Greek word tonos, which meant "a stretching" or "tension." This is a perfect description of how music was first made—by stretching a string on an instrument (like a harp or lute) to the right tension to create the correct note, or "tone."
First Known Use and Meaning
When the word tuner first appeared in English in the late 1500s (around 1579), its meaning was exactly what you would expect: "a person who tunes."
The word was used for centuries to describe a person whose job was to adjust musical instruments. A "piano tuner" or "organ tuner" was a professional who adjusted the tension of the strings or the length of the pipes to make sure the instrument played in the correct pitch.
The modern meaning—an electronic device that "tunes in" a radio or TV station—is much newer. That meaning only came about in the early 1900s, after radio was invented.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Tuner
Here are phrases and idioms related to the word tuner or its root word, "tune."
Piano tuner
Guitar tuner
TV tuner
Car tuner / Engine tuner
Tune in
Tune out
Change one's tune
In tune (with someone/something)
Out of tune (with someone/something)
To the tune of... (e.g., "to the tune of $5,000")
Dialed in (related to the act of tuning)
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of tuner from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
