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• dial
  dial

  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.
• dial.
  dial.

  abbreviation

  dialect.

dial

¹ American  

[dahy-uhl, dahyl] / ˈdaɪ əl, daɪl /

noun

• dials
  plural

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

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

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

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verb (used with object)

• dials,
  present (3rd person singular)
• dialed,
  past participle,  past
• dialled,
  past participle,  past (especially British)
• dialing,
  present participle
• dialling
  present participle (especially British)

1. to enter or input (a number) on a telephone, as by means of a touchscreen, push buttons, or a rotary dial.

   I dialed your work number by mistake.

2. to make a telephone call to.

   You can dial the Telehealth hotline for advice from a nurse.

3. to regulate, select, or tune in by means of a dial, as on a radio.

   She reached over to dial an FM station.

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

5. to measure with or as if with a dial.

verb (used without object)

• dials,
  present (3rd person singular)
• dialed,
  past participle,  past
• dialled,
  past participle,  past (especially British)
• dialing,
  present participle
• dialling
  present participle (especially British)

1. to enter or input a number on a telephone, as by means of a touchscreen, push buttons, or a rotary dial.

   I keep dialing, but she's not picking up.

2. to use a dial to regulate or make a selection.

   Dial through the program settings on the washer to find the one that suits your load.

adjective

1. (of a telephone) having a rotary dial mechanism.

verb phrase

1. dial up

   1. to obtain, reach, or contact by telephone.

      Now's your chance to dial up Chicago and do some business.

   2. to access a computer, the internet, or another network by dialing a telephone number.

   3. to increase the level of; intensify.

      I used cayenne, garlic, oregano, thyme, and pepper to dial up the flavor.

2. dial down to reduce the level of; diminish.

   Such open threats of military action make it more difficult to dial down tensions.

dial. ² American  

abbreviation

1. dialect.

2. dialectal.

3. dialectic.

4. dialectical.

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dial ¹ British  

/ daɪl, ˈdaɪəl /

noun

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

2. the circular graduated disc of various measuring instruments

3. 1. the control on a radio or television set used to change the station or channel

   2. the panel on a radio on which the frequency, wavelength, or station is indicated by means of a pointer

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

5. a miner's compass for surveying in a mine

6. a slang word for face

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verb

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

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

dial. ² British  

abbreviation

1. dialect(al)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dialler
  noun
• undialed
  adjective
• undialled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dials
  plural

Participles

• dialing
  present
• dialling
  present
• dialed
  past
• dialled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• dial
  simple
• dials
  simple
• have dialed
  perfect
• have dialled
  perfect
• has dialed
  perfect
• has dialled
  perfect
• am dialing
  progressive
• am dialling
  progressive
• are dialing
  progressive
• are dialling
  progressive
• is dialing
  progressive
• is dialling
  progressive
• have been dialing
  perfect progressive
• have been dialling
  perfect progressive
• has been dialing
  perfect progressive
• has been dialling
  perfect progressive

Past

• dialed
  simple
• dialled
  simple
• had dialed
  perfect
• had dialled
  perfect
• was dialing
  progressive
• was dialling
  progressive
• were dialing
  progressive
• were dialling
  progressive
• had been dialing
  perfect progressive
• had been dialling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will dial
  simple
• will have dialed
  perfect
• will have dialled
  perfect
• will be dialing
  progressive
• will be dialling
  progressive
• will have been dialing
  perfect progressive
• will have been dialling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of dial

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English dial, diel,dyal “instrument for telling time by the sun's shadow,” from Old French dyal, from Medieval Latin diālis “daily” ( Latin di(ēs) ) “day” + -ālis adjective suffix; cf. -al ¹)

Explanation

A dial is a circle that has a series of numbers or marks representing numbers, like the dial of a clock face, a compass, or an old-fashioned telephone. If you have a watch that glows in the dark, it's the dial you can see even in a dark movie theater. Old telephones and televisions both have dials — the first has numbers from zero to nine in a circle, and the latter has a round disc for changing channels. When you call someone, you can say that you dial their number. In fact, people tend to use the word dial when they use a phone, even if they're pushing buttons or tapping a touch screen. The Latin root is dialis, "daily," and the earliest dial was a sundial.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dial dial. dials dialed dialled dialing dialling

“It may be smart to dial back expectations,” said Matt Schulz, LendingTree’s chief consumer-finance analyst.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

These engines are highly complex and it takes time for teams to dial into them so they are working at their optimum.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Antonio Campos, who kind of began and ended us, we had a little bit of a dial, and he was like, “Bring it back a bit” or “I think it needs a little more.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

The point is made, but it might have been made without a viewer wanting to dial 1-800-4-A-CHILD.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

People seemed to want to dial into my clothes, my shoes, and my hairstyles, but they also had to see me in the context of where I was and why.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

“I’ve been talking to this guy every day! I’ve got him on speed dial. We’re so glad to see you.”

From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2017

“Pick up the phone and dial. If you’ve forgotten how, we’ll be happy to show you.”

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

When Dad showed concern that I’d be in the woods by myself, I wiggled my cell phone and said, “I’ve got you on speed dial. Plus, I know those trails better than anyone.”

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King

O. N. nyra, a kidney, 54Norse nyra, O. Dan. nyre, Sw. niura, Sw. dial. nyra, M. E. nere.

From Scandinavian influence on Southern Lowland Scotch by George Tobias Flom

Rone, rōn, n. the gutter which collects the rain from the roof—a dial. form of rine.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various

When Lane Kiffin dials a number, the person on the other end usually answers and takes the call.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Subscriptions could drive another $7 billion in revenue, Nowak said, and $2 of earnings growth, as the group begins “turning emerging monetization dials and creating new costs to compete for audiences and wallet share.”

From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026

Part of that included disposing of glowing dials, which were made using radium-226.

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026

It also immediately dials up pressure on the White House from consumers and businesses who are seeking payback.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 20, 2026

I try sending out good vibes as the modem dials.

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass

She dialed the Comanche Police Department, and within minutes, a sheriff’s deputy arrived, followed by emergency responders.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Recent numbers from Goldman Sachs’s prime brokerage unit showed equity-focused hedge funds have dialed back their net exposure to stocks to some of the lowest levels of the past year.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

European fossil fuel companies that once touted renewable goals, including Shell, BP and Norway’s Equinor, have dialed them back and doubled down on more profitable oil and gas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Fight choreography was made to look more like brawling, with Chau noting performers dialed back “strong shapes, motions and lines” into characters that are “a little bit more broken down” to underscore the noir aesthetic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Then I picked up the phone again and dialed directory assistance for the information number of TWA.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Even for the Conservatives, who have always been fairly sympathetic to oil and gas exploration, the rhetoric has been dialled up.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

The economy had been set for a rebound this year on the back of hefty government spending, but forecasts have been dialled back due to the conflict.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

They were awoken by seeing flames and immediately dialled 999.

From BBC ● May 13, 2026

"Really scared" Pearl unlocked her mum's phone, dialled 999 and told call handler Gen Hinds: "She's lying on the sofa… she's not awake. Her eyes keep on opening and closing."

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026

I dialled his number and listened to his voice when he picked up, at first soft with sleep, and then louder, wary, worried, exasperated.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

Home-insurance premiums hit a record high in June, dialing up the heat on homeowners’ budgets across America.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

But rather than dialing anything back, the big players are just revving their engines more and more.

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026

Tractor Supply is dialing up promotions and trimming prices on popular items after concluding consumer belt-tightening won’t abate anytime soon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

“There is something so therapeutic in physically dialing the number,” Clifton-Hawkins said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

"Sure," Turtle replied, dialing the telephone number of the hospital.

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

Manchester's Nico O'Reilly has the city's 0161 dialling code tattooed on his arm, while Declan Rice keeps in touch with his old PE teacher at Grey Court School near Kingston upon Thames.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

This gives the heart a bigger job of pumping it around the body and it copes by dialling up the blood pressure - a bit like cranking the tap on a garden hose pipe.

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

Anyone becoming unwell with symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia should seek medical help urgently at the closest Accident and Emergency Department or by dialling 999.

From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026

There may also be consequences to dialling up the immune system beyond its normal state – raising questions of immune disorders.

From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026

When he had finished dialling, he picked up his handkerchief from the desk and put it over the mouthpiece, quite loosely and mounted rather high.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger