busy signal

American  

noun

1. Telephony. a regular succession of buzzing tones transmitted to a caller to indicate that the circuit serving the number is blocked or in use, rapid repetition indicating that the network is blocked and normal repetition that the telephone being called is in use.

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busy signal British  

noun

1. Also called (especially in Britain): engaged tone.  a repeated single note heard on a telephone when the number called is already in use

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Etymology

Origin of busy signal

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Calls to La Colombe’s five Chicago locations landed one Wi-Fi “yes,” two “noes,” one recurring busy signal, and one “no more indoor seating.”

From Slate • Jun. 4, 2024

Calls to a telephone listing for A Better You yielded a busy signal Thursday.

From Washington Times • Oct. 19, 2023

And 15 percent of callers will get a busy signal, up more than double last year’s rate of 6 percent.

From Washington Post • Feb. 18, 2023

When Indovina tried to call back, she just got a busy signal.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 3, 2021

If the phone was not working at all, they told her, she would have gotten something like a busy signal, a particular sound to indicate that the lines were down.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers