dial-up

American  

[dahy-uhl-uhp, dahyl-] / ˈdaɪ əlˌʌp, ˈdaɪl- /

adjective

Computers.

1. relating to or denoting a type of computer data transmission encoded in audio format and transmitted through a telephone call to an internet service provider.

   A dial-up connection to the internet is too slow to play most online video games.

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Etymology

Origin of dial-up

First recorded in 1960–65; adjective use of verb phrase dial up

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dial-up

June, now 63, said her home office at the time had a dial-up modem, trading software downloaded from a compact disc and a dodgy internet connection.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

On the variable cost side of the coin, spending on graphics processing units and data centers, as well as massive electricity bills, are sending tech companies’ capital-light models the way of the dial-up modem.

From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026

A lot of people around my age might read those words and be instantly thrown back to the days of dial-up internet, MSN Messenger and Napster.

From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2026

That era was capped by Time Warner’s ill-fated sale in the early 2000s to dial-up internet service provider AOL — a disastrous union that plundered the value of Warner’s prestigious properties.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2025

The Hatchery’s site interface was designed to look and operate like an old pre-Internet dial-up bulletin board system, complete with the screech of a 300-baud modem during the log-in sequence.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

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