dial-up

adjective

ˈdī(-ə)l-ˌəp 

: relating to or being a standard telephone line used for computer communications

also : accessible via a standard telephone line

a dial-up Internet provider

Examples of dial-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But what if this is the new norm, and the midlife crisis is going extinct the way other trappings of the 20th century have, like dial-up internet and Kodak film? —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2025

Arkansas received a record $1 billion to invest in broadband, a high-capacity transmission technology that is more than 100 times faster than dial-up internet. —Arkansas Online, 25 Aug. 2025

Once upon a time the screech of the dial-up sound signaled our entry into a new realm in the form of the Internet. —Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025

New York — AOL, an internet pioneer that brought millions of Americans online for the first time, is discontinuing its dial-up service next month. —Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dial-up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

dial-up

adjective

ˈdī(-ə)l-ˌəp

: relating to or done using an ordinary telephone line

dial-up Internet access