Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for answering service. Search instead for consulting service.
Synonyms

answering service

American  

noun

  1. a service providing operators who answer a subscriber's telephone and take messages when the subscriber does not answer.


Etymology

Origin of answering service

First recorded in 1960–65

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.

See Examples For:

A chip shop manager said he has programmed an AI answering service to take orders in a bid to cut costs.

From BBC Sep. 17, 2025

This is an answering service and they will forward the contact to the Crisis and Commitment office and place it on the call log.

From Seattle Times Mar. 11, 2022

In recent years he earned money through freelance I.T. work for local businesses, including answering service calls.

From New York Times Feb. 24, 2021

From her home in the Philadelphia suburbs, Nin Bell works for an answering service, taking calls from people trying to reach more than 10,000 funeral homes and end-of-life companies.

From Washington Post Sep. 12, 2020

Eventually a company representative or answering service picked up the call.

From Underground by Dreyfus, Suelette

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training