dial
noun
di·al
| \ ˈdī(-ə)l
\
\
Definition of dial
(Entry 1 of 3)
1
: the face of a sundial
3
: the graduated face of a timepiece
4a
: 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
verb
dialed
or dialled;
dialing
or dialling
Definition of dial (Entry 2 of 3)
1
: to measure with a dial
2a
: 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
dial
abbreviationDefinition of dial (Entry 3 of 3)
1
dialect
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Synonyms for dial
Synonyms: Verb
call, phone, ring (up) [chiefly British], telephone
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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
And little by little, the dial is going to shift for the better. — Jason Ikeler, Harper's BAZAAR, "Maren Morris Is Becoming the Voice for Women in Country Music," 31 July 2019 Another simple test is to rotate the meter dial to the position for continuity. — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "How To Use a Digital Multimeter," 25 July 2019 The product was packaged in a container the size of a compact, the pills stowed in what looked like the dial of a rotary phone — one for each day of the month. — Steve Marble, latimes.com, "George Rosenkranz, the chemist who changed the world with ‘the pill,’ dies at 102," 27 June 2019 Mary Beth Marxer, Meyer's Viennoiserie chef, adjusts the dial down one-third of an inch and feeds it into the rollers, then lays it flat for Meyer to inspect. — Dallas News, "'Best thing I've ever eaten': Hard-to-pronounce French pastry is heavy, buttery and crisp with sugar," 20 June 2019 The dial has orange indices (the hour indicators) with a bezel cut from nautical teak, the wood found on the decks of the finest boats. — Matt Hranek, Condé Nast Traveler, "Time and Place: Hublot in Brooklyn," 26 Sep. 2018 The update also includes new sizes, like a slim rectangle and mini square, and POP accessories that attach to the underside of those lids, like a leveler, scoops, date dial, and a brown sugar saver (a terra cotta disk to keep it from drying out!). — Katie Macdonald, PEOPLE.com, "Khloé Kardashian Uses These OXO Containers for Her Pantry — and They Just Got a Major Upgrade," 19 Aug. 2019 The late '90s was a time when connecting to the internet meant hearing the screech of a dial-up connection, and downloading files called for a level of patience that feels completely foreign two decades later. — NBC News, "From Korean dramas to Filipino sitcoms, Asian Americans lead the way on streaming," 16 Aug. 2019 At the center of all these debates is a bit of legislation that came into being well before Facebook and Twitter, back when the internet was plodding along at dial-up speeds: Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. — Matt Laslo, WIRED, "The Fight Over Section 230—and the Internet as We Know It," 13 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
That’s when Gus Malzahn called Gatewood’s number and dialed up a familiar play from his days as Auburn’s offensive coordinator. — Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, "Backup QB Joey Gatewood remains patient, plays crucial role in Auburn’s comeback vs. Oregon," 1 Sep. 2019 But Meyer and Day both started by dialing up offenses and delegating defensive duties to assistants. — Doug Lesmerises, cleveland.com, "How Ryan Day, master doodler, turned his QB brain into Ohio State’s head coaching job," 30 Aug. 2019 Once United punched its ticket to the U.S. Open Cup final with a 2-1 semifinal win over Portland on Wednesday, Mason Toye and Chase Gasper were imitating Kevin Durant’s pregame dance to a tune DJ Lo dialed up. — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, "A winning vibe: Minnesota United’s success correlates to new DJ’s playlist," 9 Aug. 2019 There was no game-planning for the first preseason game, but credit the defense for dialing up the pressure. — Nora Princiotti, BostonGlobe.com, "Eight takeaways from the Patriots’ time in Michigan," 9 Aug. 2019 But with Grantham loving to dial up blitzes often, that made Florida’s defense vulnerable to explosive plays (68th in IsoPPP in 2018) and third-down conversions (53rd). — Max Meyer, SI.com, "College Football Win Totals: Best Bets in the SEC," 25 July 2019 But nuclear diplomats aren’t in a position to privately rake in billions by dialing up systemic risks. — Rob Reid, Ars Technica, "Ars on your lunch break: The fate we might be making for ourselves," 18 June 2019 So, the silver lining of addressing food waste is that everyone can dial up their self awareness and make a big impact. — National Geographic, "Most people waste more food than they think—here's how to fix it," 24 Apr. 2019 The president also has been engaged in cable coverage ahead of Mueller’s testimony, dialed in to Fox News on Tuesday night, and has delivered his own commentary to allies regarding various cable coverage of the former special counsel's testimony. — NBC News, "Robert Mueller set to testify to Congress about his report, Trump," 24 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for dial
dial
noun
English Language Learners Definition of dial
(Entry 1 of 2)
: the part of a clock or watch that has the numbers on it
: the part of a piece of equipment that shows the measurement of something with a moving piece (such as a needle) that points to a number
: a round control on a radio or television that you use to select a station or channel or to make the volume louder or quieter
dial
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of dial (Entry 2 of 2)
: to select (a series of numbers) on a telephone by turning a dial or pushing buttons