tune out

Meaning

To stop paying attention to what is happening around you, or to ignore a specific sound or person. It originates from adjusting a radio dial away from a station, but is now used casually to describe losing focus or mentally blocking something out.

Examples

• When my brother starts complaining about his job, I just tune out.

  When my brother starts complaining about his job, I just tune out.

• It's hard to tune out the sound of construction while trying to study.

  It's hard to tune out the sound of construction while trying to study.

• She has an amazing ability to tune out distractions and get her work done.

  She has an amazing ability to tune out distractions and get her work done.

• I completely tuned out during the meeting because it was so boring.

  I completely tuned out during the meeting because it was so boring.

• If the movie gets too slow, I find myself tuning out and checking my phone.

  If the movie gets too slow, I find myself tuning out and checking my phone.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I tuned off my noisy classmates.

  ✓ I tuned out my noisy classmates.

  'Tune off' is incorrect. You 'turn off' a device, but you 'tune out' a distraction.

• ✗ He tuned out of the conversation.

  ✓ He tuned out during the conversation.

  While 'tune out' can be used transitively ('tune out the noise'), if used intransitively, we typically use 'during' or simply 'tuned out', rather than 'tuned out of' unless referring to a radio broadcast.

Related Expressions

Practice

• The background music was so loud, but I managed to ___ it ___ and finish reading.

  💡 Split phrasal verb meaning to ignore.

  Show answer

  tune out

• Whenever he talks about politics, I just ___.

  💡 Stop paying attention.

  Show answer

  tune out