dial-up

American  

[dahy-uhl-uhp, dahyl-] / ˈdaɪ əlˌʌp, ˈdaɪl- /

adjective

Computers.

1. relating to or denoting a type of computer data transmission encoded in audio format and transmitted through a telephone call to an internet service provider.

   A dial-up connection to the internet is too slow to play most online video games.

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Etymology

Origin of dial-up

First recorded in 1960–65; adjective use of verb phrase dial up

Example Sentences

On the variable cost side of the coin, spending on graphics processing units and data centers, as well as massive electricity bills, are sending tech companies’ capital-light models the way of the dial-up modem.

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026

That era was capped by Time Warner’s ill-fated sale in the early 2000s to dial-up internet service provider AOL — a disastrous union that plundered the value of Warner’s prestigious properties.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 1, 2025

The company stopped its dial-up internet service last month.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025

The rolling green grassy hills and blue sky of our Windows XP background greeted me, and I’d feel feverish waiting as the AOL dial-up internet made its torturously slow connection.

From Slate • Aug. 12, 2025

‘Abu had to go out and get a PC and a dial-up modem. The skeptics all said, ‘It takes people a long time to change their habits and learn a new technology.’

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman