dial — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves to show a measurement (such as speed).

   Examples

   Holonyms: (often holonymous) instrument, gauge

   The dial on the dashboard showed the car was nearly out of gas.

2. A graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves to show a measurement (such as speed). Such a field as part of a clock face; (metonymic) the entire clock face.

3. A sundial.

4. A panel on a radio etc showing wavelengths or channels; a knob that is turned to change the wavelength etc.

   Examples

   Turn the dial to Radio 4: my favourite show is on!

5. A disk with finger holes on a telephone; used to select the number to be called.

   Examples

   His hands were too fat to operate the dial on the telephone.

6. A person's face.

   Usage

   • Australia
   • UK usage
   • Slang

   Examples

   “Well, all I can say is that if yer don't take yer dial outer the road I'll bloomin' well take an' bounce a gibber off yer crust.”

   More examples (2)

   At the sound of the old familiar voice he spun around with something of the agility of a cat on hot bricks, and I saw that his dial, usually cheerful, was contorted with anguish, as if he had swallowed a bad oyster.

   Old Mona Lisa would have looked like a sour lemon beside Angel Day on the rare days she put a smile on her dial, laughing with her friends when some new man was in town.

7. A miner's compass.

Verb

1. To control or select something with a dial, or (figuratively) as if with a dial.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   The lead guitarist for the rock band Spinal Tap dialed his amplifier to 11.

   The president has recently dialled down the rhetoric.

2. To select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone, regardless of whether a physical dial is present.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   In an emergency dial 999.

3. To use a dial or a telephone.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Examples

   Please be careful when dialling.

4. To initiate a connection to a remote computer service such as a database.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   The application failed when attempting to dial the Postgres server, because there were too many open connections.

5. To use a dial-up modem to connect a personal computer to the Internet.

   Usage

   • Dated
   • Intransitive

   Examples

   I always check my guestbook when I dial, just in case anyone saw my Web site.

Noun

1. the face of a timepiece; graduated to show the hours

   Broader terms

   face

2. the control on a radio or television set that is used for tuning

   Broader terms

   controlcontroller

3. the circular graduated indicator on various measuring instruments

   Broader terms

   indicator

4. a disc on a telephone that is rotated a fixed distance for each number called

   Synonyms

   telephone dial

   Broader terms

   selectorselector switch

Verb

1. operate a dial to select a telephone number

   Broader terms

   operatecontrol

   Examples

   You must take the receiver off the hook before you dial

2. choose by means of a dial

   Broader terms

   choosetakeselectpick out

   Examples

   dial a telephone number