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tune out

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tune out

Fig. to cease paying attention to anything at all. I wasn't interested, so I just tuned out. I think that most of the audience tuned out during the last part of the lecture.

See also: out, tune

tune someone or something out

to put someone or something out of one's consciousness; to cease paying attention to someone or something. I had to tune the radio out in order to concentrate. I tuned out what the speaker was saying and daydreamed for a while.

See also: out, tune

tune out (somebody/something)

to stop paying attention to someone or something Beverly always tunes out in the middle of her music lesson. He's been tuning me out ever since I tried to talk to him about his drinking.

See also: out, tune

tune out

1. Adjust a receiver so as not to receive a signal, as in Let's tune out all this interference. [Early 1900s]

2. Dissociate oneself from one's surroundings; also, disregard, ignore. For example, The average reader, used to seeing lots of color images, tunes out when confronted with big blocks of text , or Some mothers are expert at tuning out the children's whining and quarreling. [1920s] For an antonym, see tune in.

See also: out, tune

tune out

v.

1. To disconnect from or stop receiving a particular broadcast station or program: I had to tune out halfway through the game last night, so I don't know how it ended.

2. Slang To disassociate oneself from one's environment: When faced with so much advertising, most people just tune out.

3. Slang To become unresponsive to someone or something; ignore someone or something: She tried to tune out the children's laughter so she could study. He tunes me out every time I ask him about the money that he owes me.

See also: out, tune

tune out

in. to begin to ignore everything. The entire class had tuned out, so no one heard the teacher ask the question.

See also: out, tune