dial

[ dahy-uh l, dahyl ]

/ ˈdaɪ əl, daɪl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dial ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a plate, disk, face, or other surface containing markings or figures upon which the time of day is indicated by hands, pointers, or shadows, as of a clock or sundial.

a plate or disk with markings or figures for indicating or registering some measurement or number, as of pressure, number of revolutions, the frequency to which a radio is tuned, etc., usually by means of a pointer.

a rotatable plate, disk, or knob used for regulating a mechanism, making and breaking electrical connections, etc., as in tuning a radio or television station in or out.

Also called rotary dial. a rotatable plate or disk on a telephone, fitted with finger holes that are marked with letters or numbers, used in making calls through an automatic switchboard.

any mechanism on the face of a telephone by which the caller places a call, as push buttons.

Also called miner's dial. Mining. a compass used for underground surveying.

verb (used with object), di·aled, di·al·ing or (especially British) di·alled, di·al·ling.

to indicate or register on or as if on a dial.

to measure with or as if with a dial.

to regulate, select, or tune in by means of a dial, as on a radio: to dial my favorite program.

to make a telephone call to: Dial me at home.

verb (used without object), di·aled, di·al·ing or (especially British) di·alled, di·al·ling.

to use a telephone dial; to dial a telephone: I keep dialing, but the line seems dead.

to tune in or regulate by means of a dial: to dial into the opera broadcast.

adjective

(of a telephone) having a rotary dial mechanism.

Verb Phrases

dial up, to obtain, reach, or contact by telephone: to dial up stock-market information; to dial up Chicago and do some business.

RELATED WORDS

wheel, rotate, punch, twist, turn, ring

Nearby words

diagonalize, diagram, diagrammatic, diagraph, diakinesis, dial, dial down, dial gauge, dial tone, dial train, dial-up

Origin of dial

1400–50; late Middle English: instrument for telling time by the sun's shadow, presumably < Medieval Latin diālis daily (Latin di(ēs) day + -ālis -al¹)

Related formsun·di·aled, adjectiveun·di·alled, adjective

Definition for dial (2 of 2)

dial.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dial

In January 2013, the TRN group filed a second complaint in the Dial Global suit, demanding a jury trial.
The Godfather of Right-Wing Radio|Caitlin Dickson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This suspension, Masters said, had been forced upon ARNN by the Dial Global lawsuit.
The Godfather of Right-Wing Radio|Caitlin Dickson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All a thief had to do was take off the dial knob on the safe and place the little joker on inside of it.
The High Society Bank Robber of the 1800s|J. North Conway|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Say the name you want to dial and the device connects you with mom or dad immediately.
Fish on Wheels, Digital Pet Babysitters, and More of the Summer’s Best Kickstarters|Charlotte Lytton|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“This is not the kind of thing you can dial in from doing a big study,” says Dr. Patel.
Everything You Know About Fat Is Wrong|Daniela Drake|May 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Look, Frank, the dial is just the same as the one Mr. Henderson gave us.
The Radio Detectives|A. Hyatt Verrill
In the morning, I open the detector, and there is the dial that tells if he has done his duty.
Fighting the Sea|Edward A. Rand
The measurements of the skull all were taken with dial calipers reading to a tenth of a millimeter.
Subspeciation in the Meadow Mouse, Microtus montanus, in Wyoming and Colorado|Sydney Anderson
On the library table he fastened an arrangement with two upright posts supporting a dial which he called a "dynamometer."
The Silent Bullet|Arthur B. Reeve
As she spoke, the shrill tongue of the dial once more struck the hour of two.
Tales from Blackwood|Various

British Dictionary definitions for dial (1 of 2)

dial

/ (ˈdaɪəl, daɪl) /

noun

the face of a watch, clock, chronometer, sundial, etc, marked with divisions representing units of time

the circular graduated disc of various measuring instruments

the control on a radio or television set used to change the station or channel
the panel on a radio on which the frequency, wavelength, or station is indicated by means of a pointer

a numbered disc on a telephone that is rotated a set distance for each digit of a number being called

a miner's compass for surveying in a mine

British a slang word for face (def. 1)

verb dials, dialling or dialled or US dials, dialing or dialed

to establish or try to establish a telephone connection with (a subscriber or his number) by operating the dial on a telephone

(tr) to indicate, measure, or operate with a dial

Derived Formsdialler, noun

Word Origin for dial

C14: from Medieval Latin diālis daily, from Latin diēs day

British Dictionary definitions for dial (2 of 2)

dial.

abbreviation for

dialect(al)

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

Word Origin and History for dial (1 of 2)

dial

early 15c., "sundial," earlier "dial of a compass" (mid-14c.), apparently from Medieval Latin dialis "daily," from Latin dies "day" (see diurnal).

The word perhaps was abstracted from a phrase such as Medieval Latin rota dialis "daily wheel," and evolved to mean any round plate over which something rotates. Telephone sense is from 1879, which led to dial tone (1921), "the signal to begin dialing," which term soon might be the sole relic of the rotary phone.

Word Origin and History for dial (1 of 2)

dial

1650s, "to work with aid of a dial or compass," from dial (n.). Telephone sense is from 1923. Related: Dialed; dialing.

dial

noun

verb (used with object), di·aled, di·al·ing or (especially British) di·alled, di·al·ling.

verb (used without object), di·aled, di·al·ing or (especially British) di·alled, di·al·ling.

adjective

Verb Phrases

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of dial

Definition for dial (2 of 2)

dial.

Examples from the Web for dial

British Dictionary definitions for dial (1 of 2)

dial

noun

verb dials, dialling or dialled or US dials, dialing or dialed

Word Origin for dial

British Dictionary definitions for dial (2 of 2)

dial.

abbreviation for

Word Origin and History for dial (1 of 2)

dial

Word Origin and History for dial (1 of 2)

dial