butt-dial

American  

[buht-dahy-uhl, ‐dahyl] / ˈbʌtˌdaɪ əl, ‐daɪl /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to unintentionally call (someone) on a cell phone in one's back pocket as a result of buttons being pressed accidentally.

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noun

1. null butt dial a call made in this way.

   Sorry, it must have been a butt-dial.

Other Word Forms

• butt-dialing
  noun

Etymology

Origin of butt-dial

2000–05; butt ¹ (slang for “buttocks”) + dial

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

butt-dial

When Elizabeth learns that her cancer has returned, Sophie overhears her parents’ subsequent conversation via a butt-dial from her father’s phone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The availability of the number was first reported by a gossip website under a post titled, “Hoping not to butt-dial Boris.”

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 30, 2021

A how-to literature has sprung up, with catalogues of hacks and interventions; there are apps designed to combat the butt-dial menace.

From The New Yorker ● Nov. 5, 2019

On Late Night, Seth Meyers started by bringing up Rudy Giuliani’s embarrassing butt-dial to a CNN reporter last week.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 29, 2019

Eventually, the defense secretary will butt-dial Al Jazeera from the Situation Room.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 18, 2017