voicemail

noun

voice·​mail ˈvȯis-ˌmāl 

variants or less commonly voice mail or voice-mail

plural voicemails also voice mails or voice-mails

1

: an electronic communication system in which spoken messages are recorded or digitized and stored for later playback by the intended recipient

left a message on the company's voicemail

let the call go to voicemail

I tried calling him twice but I only got his voicemail.

Most vehicles are equipped with hands-free technology for cellphones. However, hands-free does not mean distraction-free. Silence the unit while driving or set up an auto-response that sends calls directly to voicemail.

—Kevin Martin

a voice-mail system

voice-mail messages

2

a

: messages received through a voicemail system

checking her voicemail

b

: a voicemail message

listening to a voicemail

Examples of voicemail in a Sentence

Just leave a message on my voice mail.

I left her a voice mail.

You have two new voice mails.

Recent Examples on the Web

Months after the the senator's girlfriend left the first voicemail seeking a favor, a Senate Foreign Relations Committee staffer who worked for Menendez asked a colleague how many Americans were posted to the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. —Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 30 May 2024

Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at [e-mail]. —Malaka Gharib, NPR, 29 May 2024

Harris left 15 voicemails for Victim No. 1 on Oct. 3, 2022, including four threatening and antisemitic messages. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2024

Investigators weren’t allowed to go up to Giuliani’s residence, a doorman at the building refused to accept the documents and voicemails left for Giuliani weren’t returned, Klingerman said. —Jacques Billeaud, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2024

Phishing and vishing attacks (fraudulent phone calls and voicemails) impacted nine out of 10 of respondents. —Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 21 May 2024

Over multiple years, the stalker portrayed in Gadd’s show sent him more than 41,000 emails, 744 tweets, 100 pages of letters and 350 hours of voicemails. —Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 May 2024

Before Callum Robinson, his brother and a friend were killed while on a surfing trip in Mexico, the Australia native left his girlfriend a romantic voicemail. —Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 9 May 2024

Among the allegations presented in the series included Gadd's stalker allegedly sending him more than 41,000 emails and leaving 350 hours of voicemails. —Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 9 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

voice mail

noun

: an electronic communication system in which spoken messages are recorded for later playback to the intended recipient

also : such a message