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.
“While you won’t hear a dial tone, you will always be connected.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Her mom, Paula James-Martinez, had to explain what a dial tone was.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
The Whidbey Island phone had a dial tone, so I pressed buttons until the sounds stopped.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 30, 2023
“Every time I hear a dial tone, I think of Harry,” Biden said.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 8, 2022
A regular landline dial tone, reaching out from the past like a security blanket, a sign that the world beyond this fence still exists.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
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.
