autodialer

or au·to-di·al·er

[ aw-toh-dahy-uh-ler, -dahy-ler ]

noun

1. a telephone device that makes possible a service feature autodial whereby a call is automatically made in response to a brief input signal from the user, as the pressing of a button:

   I programmed my number into the first memory slot of the autodialer on Grandma’s phone.

2. a computer program that dials phone numbers from a predetermined or algorithmically derived list, connecting a phone operator with one call after another, as in a telemarketing call center:

   The autodialer maximizes operators’ efficiency by connecting them only to the calls that are answered.

3. robocall.

Word History and Origins

Origin of autodialer¹

First recorded in 1960–65; auto- ³( def ) + dialer ( def )