as in calls
to make a telephone call to
dialed 911 and asked for the police
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dials
Liz Provencher, Travel + Leisure, 9 Jan. 2026
Trump administration dials back vaccine recommendations Public health experts recommend that everyone 6 months and older get an annual influenza vaccine.
—Mike Stobbe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
This new installment in the film franchise based on the bestselling YA book series by Suzanne Collins again dials things back, this time looking at Haymitch Abernathy’s origins.
—Dan Heching, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
When House frantically dials up the device, the man’s head explodes in a mess of gooey, gory innards.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Dec. 2025
Skip forward to the 1960s, when an upstanding Canadian gentleman by the name of Gerald Bull dials it up to 11 with Project HARP (High Altitude Research Project).
—New Atlas, 22 Nov. 2025
Loomer keeps a panic button, which automatically dials 911, in the studio, and in every other room in the house.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
The show then dials back to February 22, 2019, another notorious day in the Murdaugh family dynasty.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
This CoComelon Halloween playlist dials down on the creepy elements of the Halloween season.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
Chef Alejandro Crespo has created a menu that dials up traditional tapas.
—Liz Provencher, Travel + Leisure, 9 Jan. 2026
Trump administration dials back vaccine recommendations Public health experts recommend that everyone 6 months and older get an annual influenza vaccine.
—Mike Stobbe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
This new installment in the film franchise based on the bestselling YA book series by Suzanne Collins again dials things back, this time looking at Haymitch Abernathy’s origins.
—Dan Heching, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
When House frantically dials up the device, the man’s head explodes in a mess of gooey, gory innards.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Dec. 2025
Skip forward to the 1960s, when an upstanding Canadian gentleman by the name of Gerald Bull dials it up to 11 with Project HARP (High Altitude Research Project).
—New Atlas, 22 Nov. 2025
Loomer keeps a panic button, which automatically dials 911, in the studio, and in every other room in the house.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
The show then dials back to February 22, 2019, another notorious day in the Murdaugh family dynasty.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
This CoComelon Halloween playlist dials down on the creepy elements of the Halloween season.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dials
Verb
-
The Dow Jones consensus calls for 215,000 initial unemployment claims.—
Jason Gewirtz,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The project’s ultimate blueprint calls for a massive, kilometer-wide circular power station in geostationary orbit, 36,000 kilometers (22,370 miles) above Earth.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Before cleaning the handles, knobs, or drawer pulls, consider the hardware material.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Giggles echoed in a nearby play area where children twisted knobs and spun a wheel in a car-like play structure.—
Rachel Kraus,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But the other teams in the NFC South aren’t just sitting on their hands.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Video posted to social media showed passengers with their hands raised as law enforcement officers entered the cabin and removed one passenger.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Long-pressing these buttons will keep the tonearm moving beyond the presets – stopping a little after button release to lower the stylus.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The remote, which has specific buttons to notify staff if the patient is in pain or needs to use the bathroom, is similar to a cellphone and will give patients the ability to press a button to speak with a nurse before the nurse ever gets to the room.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The driver then phones the police, while arguing with officers at the scene.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Hiring has begun to recover in aerospace and computer systems design, and goods movement indicators — including port activity and air cargo volumes — have rebounded to or exceeded pre-pandemic levels.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Some recent economic indicators have pointed to a pickup in growth in the early part of 2026.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But indexes fell in Europe as oil prices began to accelerate.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
European stock indexes were slightly higher in early trade, while US futures were broadly flat.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
With so many touchscreens and digital displays, actual buttons or switches can serve as functional, texture-rich details.—
Beth Livesay,
AJC.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
That figure includes both custom chip revenue and AI networking products — things like Ethernet switches that help stitch the data center together.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dials.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dials. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
