dial tone
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of dial tone
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.
Her mom, Paula James-Martinez, had to explain what a dial tone was.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
Nearby, museum archivist Claire Violet is on her back beneath a table, trying to figure out why she can’t get a dial tone from a phone at her work station.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 26, 2024
One source said calls being redirected to other numbers and connecting without a dial tone were among the signs of interception.
From Reuters • May 18, 2021
The next morning, the “That '70s Show” star said he picked up his phone and there was no dial tone, prompting him to think the Secret Service had tapped his phone.
From Fox News • Sep. 26, 2019
Tanisha hangs up first, and all I’m left with is the dial tone humming a wordless tune in my ear.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
