answering service

American  

noun

1. a service providing operators who answer a subscriber's telephone and take messages when the subscriber does not answer.

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Etymology

Origin of answering service

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

A chip shop manager said he has programmed an AI answering service to take orders in a bid to cut costs.

From BBC • Sep. 17, 2025

That neurologist wasn’t on call, she was told by the answering service, but someone would call her back.

From New York Times • Oct. 13, 2022

This is an answering service and they will forward the contact to the Crisis and Commitment office and place it on the call log.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 11, 2022

From her home in the Philadelphia suburbs, Nin Bell works for an answering service, taking calls from people trying to reach more than 10,000 funeral homes and end-of-life companies.

From Washington Post • Sep. 12, 2020

Eventually a company representative or answering service picked up the call.

From Underground by Dreyfus, Suelette