dial tone

noun

: a tone emitted by a telephone as a signal that the system is ready for dialing

Examples of dial tone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Calls to police precincts Tuesday evening dropped without a dial tone. Dillon Mullan, Baltimore Sun, 26 June 2024 For five months, the spacecraft transmitted unusable data equivalent to a dial tone. IEEE Spectrum, 6 May 2024 When the lights go out and the cell phones go dark, that click and dial tone are often the last resort. Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, The Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2024 In Protest Trump Defeats Haley In Michigan Republican Primary—On Track To Clinch Nomination Next Month Own A Solution Mindset Decades ago, people paid for a dial tone. Pete Bernard, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dial tone 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dial tone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1923, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dial tone was in 1923

Dictionary Entries Near dial tone

Cite this Entry

“Dial tone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dial%20tone. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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