tune out

1. To stop paying attention to or mentally distance oneself from the environment or surroundings. I already covered this material in my other class, so I just tune out and doodle in my notebook. I can tell the kids are tuning out when I start talking about verbs and pronouns.

2. To willfully ignore or stop paying attention to someone or something. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "tune" and "out." I have to try to tune out the kid's shouting when I work from home. Stop tuning me out! I'm just trying to tell you why I'm upset.

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

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 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

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

tune out

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

tune someone/something out

tv. to ignore or disregard someone or something. I managed to tune out the constant clamor in the streets.