student asking question

What does it mean to "set the tone"?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

To "set the tone" means to create or establish the general mood or feeling of a situation. It is a way of saying you are establishing the manner in which something, in this case, the meeting, will be conducted. Ex: Her cheerful greeting set the mood for the whole night. Ex: The gloomy weather really set the mood for my day.

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