caller ID

American  

[kaw-ler] / ˈkɔ lər /

noun

1. a telephone service that allows a subscriber to identify a caller before answering by displaying the caller's telephone number on a small screen.

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Etymology

Origin of caller ID

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

If the caller ID comes up as your bank, don’t answer and call back using the number on the back of your credit card.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

Customers could not reach him because he had always phoned them with his caller ID hidden.

From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025

NBC reported that Sullivan's personal cell phone number appeared in the caller ID of those receiving the robocall.

From Salon • Jan. 22, 2024

“Phone scams often use spoofing techniques to deliberately falsify the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity or make the call appear to be official,” it said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 22, 2023

The caller ID stopped me mid-stride: Angela Sammick.

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin