busy signal

American

noun

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.

busy signal British

noun

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

"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 busy signal

First recorded in 1890–95

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.

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

He gets a busy signal from the shelter in North Hollywood and discovers with a Google search that it’s permanently closed.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 23, 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

Behind her, a busy signal buzzed from the abandoned receiver.

From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers

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