di•al
Pronunciation: (dī'ul, dīl), [key]
— n., v., adj. di•aled, di•al•ing di•alled, di•al•ling,
—n.
- a plate, disk, face, or other surface containing markings or figures upon which the time of day is indicated by hands, pointers, or shadows, as of a clock or sundial.
- a plate or disk with markings or figures for indicating or registering some measurement or number, as of pressure, number of revolutions, the frequency to which a radio is tuned, etc., usually by means of a pointer.
- a rotatable plate, disk, or knob used for regulating a mechanism, making and breaking electrical connections, etc., as in tuning a radio or television station in or out.
- Also calleda rotatable plate or disk on a telephone, fitted with finger holes that are marked with letters or numbers, used in making calls through an automatic switchboard.
- any mechanism on the face of a telephone by which the caller places a call, as push buttons.
- Also calleda compass used for underground surveying.
—v.t.
- to indicate or register on or as if on a dial.
- to measure with or as if with a dial.
- to regulate, select, or tune in by means of a dial, as on a radio: to dial my favorite program.
- to make a telephone call to: Dial me at home.
—v.i.
- to use a telephone dial; to dial a telephone: I keep dialing, but the line seems dead.
- to tune in or regulate by means of a dial: to dial into the opera broadcast.
- to obtain, reach, or contact by telephone: to dial up stock-market information; to dial up Chicago and do some business.
—adj.
- (of a telephone) having a rotary dial mechanism.
dial.
- dialect.
- dialectal.
- dialectic.
- dialectical.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.