voicemail
noun
voice·mail
ˈvȯis-ˌmāl 
variants
or less commonly voice mail
or voice-mail
plural voicemails also voice mails or voice-mails
1
: an electronic communication system in which spoken messages are recorded or digitized and stored for later playback by the intended recipient
left a message on the company's voicemail
let the call go to voicemail
I tried calling him twice but I only got his voicemail.
Most vehicles are equipped with hands-free technology for cellphones. However, hands-free does not mean distraction-free. Silence the unit while driving or set up an auto-response that sends calls directly to voicemail.—
Kevin Martin
Kevin Martina voice-mail system
voice-mail messages
2
a
: messages received through a voicemail system
checking her voicemail
b
: a voicemail message
listening to a voicemail
Examples of voicemail in a Sentence
Just leave a message on my voice mail.
I left her a voice mail.
You have two new voice mails.
Recent Examples on the Web
As Claude leaves a weirdly nonspecific voicemail for Valentina in the next room (another classic blunder), Roselyn scoops some cyanide-containing silver polish out of its container on his desk and stirs it briskly into his tea.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
As a sales representative for a legal software company, Tony De Leon used to spend hours cold calling prospects only to get their voicemails.
—Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Cuarón underlines Catherine’s comical overconfidence by cutting from her self-satisfied voicemail to Stephen’s furious, frozen stare.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 Oct. 2024
Guilt trip left in a voicemail Erase or ignore still?
Or play it back all the time?
—Brendan Menapace, SPIN, 9 Oct. 2024
In the voicemail, Purvis described a grievance with Arab people arising out of his criminal case and threatened to assassinate them, according to the news release.
—Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 25 Sep. 2024
In February, New Hampshire residents received voicemails from an audio deepfake of Joe Biden, in which the President appeared to discourage them from voting.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024
An Alabama man was sentenced on Tuesday to nearly two years in federal prison after leaving threatening voicemails for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her investigation concerning former President Donald Trump.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024
Hear from people who left CNN voicemails after each season of the podcast.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN, 25 Oct. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
As a sales representative for a legal software company, Tony De Leon used to spend hours cold calling prospects only to get their voicemails.
—Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Cuarón underlines Catherine’s comical overconfidence by cutting from her self-satisfied voicemail to Stephen’s furious, frozen stare.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 Oct. 2024
Guilt trip left in a voicemail Erase or ignore still?
Or play it back all the time?
—Brendan Menapace, SPIN, 9 Oct. 2024
In the voicemail, Purvis described a grievance with Arab people arising out of his criminal case and threatened to assassinate them, according to the news release.
—Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 25 Sep. 2024
In February, New Hampshire residents received voicemails from an audio deepfake of Joe Biden, in which the President appeared to discourage them from voting.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024
An Alabama man was sentenced on Tuesday to nearly two years in federal prison after leaving threatening voicemails for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her investigation concerning former President Donald Trump.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024
Hear from people who left CNN voicemails after each season of the podcast.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN, 25 Oct. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near voicemail
Cite this Entry
“Voicemail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/voicemail. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share