dials 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of dial
as in calls
to make a telephone call to dialed 911 and asked for the police

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

dials

2 of 2

noun

plural of dial

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
Noun
This CoComelon Halloween playlist dials down on the creepy elements of the Halloween season. Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 26 Sep. 2025 Barry, who worked in management at Magnolia Bakery for years, has developed a recipe for Banana Pudding that dials back the Southern-style sweetness to a more appealing West Coast level. Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 15 Sep. 2025 The novel dials up the danger for the group of amateur detectives when an old friend from Elizabeth's (played by Mirren in The Thursday Murder Club movie) spy days comes back from her past. Christopher Rudolph, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025 As Matthew and Oliver slowly become enmeshed in an unexpected role-reversal of power, Lurker dials up the queasy tension while carefully exploring matters of manipulation, coercion, and the dark dangers of obsession. Michael Cuby, Them., 27 Aug. 2025 None of this would land without the heroic voice acting of Pamela Adlon, who subtly dials up his boyish vocal fry into the rasp of a grown man. Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 22 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dials
Verb
  • Their party gets spoiled when a CCTV camera operator calls to inform the police.
    Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2025
  • The plan calls for Israel to release 250 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences, as well as 1,700 Palestinians detained since the start of the war, in exchange for Hamas freeing 48 hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
    Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Clean the base of the toilet that is on the floor and all the knobs, too.
    Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2025
  • No more hanging socks from cabinet knobs or relying on campground and public laundromats.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • From the San Luis Valley in Colorado to below Elephant Butte Reservoir in New Mexico, the compact called for gages to monitor the river, ensuring downstream obligations were met.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The minus and plus buttons control volume, while the ULT button toggles between ULT 1, ULT 2, and Off audio modes.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 12 Aug. 2025
  • Though pricey, it’s made with premium materials, like corozo buttons, which are biodegradable, plastic-free button alternatives that resemble ivory.
    Dory Zayas, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The driver then phones the police, while arguing with officers at the scene.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The land changed hands as developers pitched grand ideas to no avail.
    Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Switzerland, like Germany, built its 20th-century industrial economy on training and valuing all types of workers—those that work with their hands and those that work at a desk.
    Peter Vanham, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • While the Dow is looking past concerns, Wall Street is also dealing with a government data blackout that has left investors without the usual gold-standard indicators of the health of the economy.
    John Towfighi, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
  • That’s the conclusion of a survey by WalletHub, a personal finance website and app, which analyzed more than 180 cities around the United States using 28 indicators of appeal, including the cost of groceries, affordability and accessibility of high-quality restaurants and food festivals per capita.
    Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • While our villa had not been recently refreshed, the only telltale sign was the excessively large switches and dimmers trailing up the walls.
    Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2025
  • But however, there are many safety micro switches in the entire unit that would stop the escalator in certain circumstances, and that's how they are designed.
    Majd Al-Waheidi, NPR, 26 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dials.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dials. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on dials

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!