call the tune

verb

Synonym of call the shots.

Similar
call the shotswear the trousers
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Meanings

verbcall the tune (third-person singular simple present calls the tune, present participle calling the tune, simple past and past participle called the tune)

present singular third person calls the tune · participle present calling the tune · participle past called the tune · past called the tune

  1. Synonym of call the shots.

    Synonyms: call the shots

Synonyms & antonyms

verbSynonym of call the shots.

Similar
call the shots

More synonyms by meaning

verbexercise authority or be in charge

Similar
call the shotswear the trousers
Broader
controlcommand
Also see
call the shotswear the trousers

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From who pays the piper calls the tune.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

call the tune. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/call%20the%20tune

MLA

“call the tune.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/call%20the%20tune. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “call the tune,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/call%20the%20tune.

Source: call the tune on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.