Synonyms

911

American

[nahyn-wuhn-wuhn, nahyn-i-lev-uhn] / ˈnaɪnˌwʌnˈwʌn, ˈnaɪn ɪˈlɛv ən /

(in the United States and Canada) the telephone number used to reach emergency medical, fire, and police services.

Etymology

Origin of 911

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

911

Just after 6 a.m., a person called 911 to report a vessel in distress beneath the bridge.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

As he fled the officers, he alerted his friends at home, who called 911.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Lindsay Clancy sobbed in court as a recording of her husband's 911 call played.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

By the end of Aug. 7 — the day after 911 million SpaceX shares were made eligible for sale — SpaceX’s stock had actually climbed 23%.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

Luke has no memory of who dialed 911, but says there were men working in a nearby mill, and he suspects that one of them called immediately after Shawn fell.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023