pager

¹ American  

[pey-jer] / ˈpeɪ dʒər /

noun

1. something, as a book or brochure, having a specified number of pages (usually used in combination).

   Her latest report was a 12-pager.

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pager ² American  

[pey-jer] / ˈpeɪ dʒər /

noun

1. beeper.

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pager British  

/ ˈpeɪdʒə /

noun

1. a small electronic device, capable of receiving short messages; usually carried by people who need to be contacted urgently (e.g. doctors)

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pager Cultural  

1. A wireless device that, when activated, signals the bearer to contact either a predetermined party or the party indicated on the device itself. Often called a beeper for the annoying beeps some pagers use to alert their owner.

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Etymology

Origin of pager¹

First recorded in 1965–70; page ¹ + -er ¹

Origin of pager²

1965–70; page ² ( def. ) + -er ¹

Explanation

A pager is an electronic device that's used for simple communication between two people. Most pagers beep or vibrate when they receive a message. Once cellphones became commonplace, fewer people used pagers, which are a much simpler communication tool. Most pagers can only receive messages, and many of them are only capable of displaying numbers. If you used a pager during their peak of popularity in the 1990s, you would probably have paged your friend the digits of your phone number; your friend would then have called you on the phone. Today, pagers are still used by emergency services for quick communication.

Example Sentences

But its use of the drones appeared to stop after Israel’s exploding pager operations and its Lebanon land invasion in October 2024, before making a recent comeback.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

He kept a pager clipped to his belt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

"The pager started beeping non-stop and, on the screen, it said 'alert'," Adam, who did not want to use his real name for safety reasons, said.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2025

"Then suddenly, as I was sitting at my desk," he said, "the pager exploded".

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2025

Mom glances at the blank screen of her pager, hoping it will go off.

From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Related Words

• intercom