dial
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone, regardless of whether a physical dial is present.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
dyuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈdaɪəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone, regardless of whether a physical dial is present.
“You must take the receiver off the hook before you dial.”
intransitive
To use a dial or a telephone.
transitive
To control or select something with a dial, or (figuratively) as if with a dial.
Choose by means of a dial
noun
A graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves to show a measurement (such as speed).
The face of a timepiece; graduated to show the hours
A panel on a radio etc showing wavelengths or channels; a knob that is turned to change the wavelength etc.
Such a field as part of a clock face; (metonymic) the entire clock face.
A disk with finger holes on a telephone; used to select the number to be called.
UKAustraliaslang
A person's face.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
More ways to use dial
- “You must take the receiver off the hook before you dial.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A telephone with a dial for registering the number to be called.
A telephone with a dial for registering the number to be called.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.