dial
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dial¹
- /ˈdaɪ.əl/ UK, US
- [ˈdaɪ.əɫ] UK, US
Rhymes with -aɪəl
Where it comes from
The original meaning was 'sundial' and/or 'clock dial'; from Middle English diall, from Middle French dyal, from Latin diālis (“daily, concerning the day”), because of its use in telling the time of day, from Latin diēs (“day”). Compare Spanish dial and día (“day”).
noun dials
- A graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves to show a measurement (such as speed). Holonyms: (often holonymous) instrument, gauge
- Such a field as part of a clock face; (metonymic) the entire clock face.
- A sundial.
- A panel on a radio etc showing wavelengths or channels; a knob that is turned to change the wavelength etc. Turn the dial to Radio 4: my favourite show is on!
- A disk with finger holes on a telephone; used to select the number to be called. His hands were too fat to operate the dial on the telephone.
- A person's face. “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.”
- A miner's compass.
verb dials · dialing · dialling · dialed · dialled
- To control or select something with a dial, or (figuratively) as if with a dial. The lead guitarist for the rock band Spinal Tap dialed his amplifier to 11.
- To select a number on a telephone, regardless of a physical dial. In an emergency dial 999.
- To call (a person or organization) using a telephone. On entering the apartment, John discovered the body on the floor. He tried to nudge Jerry’s shoulder with his foot, but he was unresponsive and stiff. John immediately pulled his phone out and dialed emergency services.
- To use a dial or a telephone. Please be careful when dialling.
- To initiate a connection to a remote computer service such as a database. The application failed when attempting to dial the Postgres server, because there were too many open connections.
- To use a dial-up modem to connect a personal computer to the Internet. I always check my guestbook when I dial, just in case anyone saw my Web site.
Dial²
proper noun Dials
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: telephone dial, clocking, clock, marker, draw, quadrant, steep, edge, flagged, coping, phone, marked, tagging, telephone, marking, dale
Translations
Every language
noun graduated, circular scale over which a needle moves
| Español | dial |
|---|---|
| Français | cadran |
| Deutsch | Zifferblatt |
| Română | cadran, scală |
| Русский | цифербла́т ciferblát |
noun panel on a radio; knob that is turned to change the wavelength
| 中文 | 刻度盤 /刻度盘 kèdùpán |
|---|---|
| Română | scală |
| Русский | цифербла́т ciferblát |
| العربية | مُؤَشِّر muʔaššir |
noun disk with finger holes on a telephone
| Español | dial |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 다이얼 daieol |
| 日本語 | ダイヤル daiyaru |
| 中文 | 撥號盤 /拨号盘 bōhàopán |
| Français | cadran |
| Deutsch | Wählscheibe, Nummernschalter, Nummernscheibe |
| Italiano | disco combinatore |
| Русский | диск disk, номеронабира́тель nomeronabirátelʹ, набо́рный диск nabórnyj disk |
| العربية | مِزْوَل mizwal, مُدَرَّجَة mudarraja |
| עברית | חוּגָה khugá |
verb to select a number, or to call someone, on a telephone
| Español | marcar, discar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 전화를 걸다 jeonhwa-reul geolda |
| 日本語 | 電話をかける denwa o kakeru |
| 中文 | 撥 /拨 bō, 打電話 /打电话 dǎ diànhuà |
| हिन्दी | मिलाना milānā |
| Português | discar |
| Français | composer, signaler |
| Deutsch | wählen |
| Română | forma |
| Русский | набира́ть nabirátʹ, набра́ть nabrátʹ, звони́ть zvonítʹ, позвони́ть pozvonítʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | quay |
| עברית | חייג \ חִיֵּג khiyeg |
Talk about this word "dial." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/dial. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. dial. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/dial "dial." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/dial.Cite this
@misc{dial_2026,
title = {dial},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/dial},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
