autodialer

American  

[aw-toh-dahy-uh-ler, -dahy-ler] / ˈɔ toʊˌdaɪ ə lər, -ˌdaɪ lər /

Or auto-dialer

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.

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Etymology

Origin of autodialer

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

Example Sentences

Robotext scammers “are increasingly using equipment that does not satisfy the definition of an autodialer under the law,” FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel told a House oversight subcommittee in a letter that December.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2023

The judges were concerned that, under this expanded definition, any smartphone could be classified as an autodialer since there are apps you can download to make robocalls.

From Slate • Apr. 28, 2022

The parties are doing more than just firing up the autodialer.

From Washington Times • Dec. 16, 2020

According to the 7th Circuit, the Federal Trade Commission fields more than 200,000 complaints a month about automated marketing, or "autodialer," calls.

From Reuters • Nov. 22, 2013

So what we do is search for computers by running a program, like an exchange autodialer.

From Terminal Compromise: computer terrorism: when privacy and freedom are the victims: a novel by Schwartau, Winn