answering machine

American

noun

an electronic device that is attached to a telephone and that automatically answers callers with a prerecorded message and records their messages for later playback.

answering machine British

noun

Also called: answerphone. In full: telephone answering machine. a device by means of which a telephone call is answered automatically and the caller enabled to leave a recorded message

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of answering machine

First recorded in 1975–80

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.

DiBergi finds Tufnel working as a cheesemonger in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Smalls as the proprietor of London glue museum and St Hubbins living in Los Angeles making answering machine jingles.

From BBC • Sep. 11, 2025

When she got home from a movie with friends, Rebecca Hayter noticed a blinking light on her answering machine.

From Slate • Jul. 22, 2025

I was visiting with Coach in his modest Encino condo when the phone rang and the answering machine picked up.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2024

I kept the message on our answering machine for years.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 3, 2023

As soon as I went downstairs in the morning, I noticed that the answering machine was blinking.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick

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