dial

1 of 3

noun

di·​al ˈdī(-ə)l 

1

: the face of a sundial

2

obsolete : timepiece

3

: the graduated face of a timepiece

4

a

: a face upon which some measurement is registered usually by means of graduations and a pointer

the thermometer dial reads 70°F

b

: a device that may be operated to make electrical connections or to regulate the operation of a machine

a radio dial

a telephone dial

dial

2 of 3

verb

dialed or dialled; dialing or dialling

transitive verb

1

: to measure with a dial

2

a

: to manipulate a device (such as a dial) so as to operate, regulate, or select

dial your favorite program

dialed the wrong number

b

: call sense 1m(1)

dialed the office

intransitive verb

1

: to manipulate a dial

2

: to make a telephone call or connection

dial

3 of 3

abbreviation

1

dialect

2

dialectical

Synonyms

Verb

• call
• phone
• telephone

Examples of dial in a Sentence

Noun

the dial of a pressure gauge

I had to keep adjusting the radio dial to make the station come in clearly.

Verb

I'm sorry. I must have dialed the wrong number.

dialed 911 and asked for the police

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Today’s sales reps go straw by straw, dial by dial, hoping to find a needle. —Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025

Cyrus blends the exquisite craftsmanship of a legacy house with the joie de vivre of an upstart, which is reflected in the exuberant shades of the strap and dial details. —Chris Morris, Fortune, 24 July 2025

Verb

Experiencing Popular Culture is like sitting down with an anachronistic piece of comedic technology — Weinbach is basically a broken radio perpetually dialing in and out of random transmissions from the recent cultural past. —Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025

The 28-year-old actress dials her performance up in her first series regular role as Barclay. —Malik Peay, Essence, 5 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English dyal, from Medieval Latin dialis clock wheel revolving daily, from Latin dies day — more at deity

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1653, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing dial

• butt dial
• dial tone
• dial-up
• don't touch that dial
• speed dial

Rhymes for dial

• rial
• thiol
• trial
• vial
• denial
• mistrial
• posttrial
• pretrial
• retrial
• sensorial
• supervisorial

Kids Definition

dial

1 of 2 noun

di·​al ˈdī(-ə)l 

1

a

: sundial

b

: the face of a watch or clock

2

a

: a face or scale on which some measurement is registered usually by means of numbers and a pointer

the thermometer dial reads 60°

b

: a disk usually with a knob or slots that may be turned to make electrical connections (as on a telephone) or to regulate the operation of a device (as a radio)

dial

2 of 2 verb

dialed or dialled; dialing or dialling

1

: to turn a dial so as to operate, regulate, or select

2

: to make a telephone call or connection