dial

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA2

Definition

to press the buttons or turn the rotary disc on a telephone in order to enter a specific series of numbers and connect with someone

Example

Léa dialled the wrong number and ended up talking to a bakery in Kyoto.

dial + number (object is the number called)

Emre dialled 911 immediately after the car struck a tree near the park.

dial + emergency services number

Common collocations

dial a number
dial direct
dial 911 / 999 / 112
dial an extension
dial the wrong number
dial the area code

Synonyms

call
more general; includes dialling and waiting for an answer; 'call' is more common in everyday speech
ring
chiefly British; similar to 'call' but slightly informal

Antonyms

hang up
to end a call rather than start one

Grammar Patterns

dial + number

dial + person (object is the called party)

Usage Note

Can be used transitively (dial a number, dial someone) or intransitively (Dial 9 first, then the number). In informal conversation, 'dial' may feel slightly dated — younger speakers often say 'call' or 'ring' — but 'dial' remains current for describing the action of keying in digits.

Common Mistakes

I am dialing to my friend.

I am dialing my friend.

'dial' takes a direct object without a preposition when the object is the person being called.

Dial the number in your phone.

Dial the number on your phone.

use the preposition 'on' for the device.

1.nounB1

Definition

the flat, round surface on a clock, watch, or measuring instrument that shows information such as the time, speed, pressure, or temperature using numbers and a moving pointer

Example

The speedometer dial showed the car was travelling at 110 kilometres per hour.

speedometer dial — vehicle instrument

Yan checked the watch dial to see if she had time for the last train.

watch dial — timepiece

Common collocations

clock dial
watch dial
speedometer dial
pressure gauge dial
dial reading
dial face

Synonyms

face
specifically the front surface of a clock or watch; more common for timepieces than for gauges
display
broader; includes both analogue and digital readouts
gauge
used mainly for instruments measuring pressure, fuel, or temperature

Usage Note

Usually refers to an analogue display with a needle or pointer, rather than a digital readout. Common on watches, clocks, speedometers, pressure gauges, thermometers, and similar instruments.

Common Mistakes

The digital watch has a nice dial.

The digital watch has a nice display.

'dial' typically implies an analogue face with a pointer.

2.nounB1

Definition

a round knob or switch on a radio, oven, heater, or other device that you turn to adjust a setting, such as the volume, temperature, or channel

Example

Emre turned the dial on the radio until he found a station playing bossa nova.

turn + dial + on + device to change a setting

Noa adjusted the volume dial so the music would not wake the baby.

volume dial — specific function

Common collocations

turn the dial
adjust the dial
volume dial
temperature dial
radio dial
oven dial
tuning dial

Synonyms

knob
more general; can refer to any round handle or control you grip and turn
control
broader; includes buttons, sliders, and switches
selector
a dial used specifically to choose among options

Usage Note

Unlike sense 1 (MEASUREMENT DISPLAY), this sense refers to a control that the user physically rotates to change a setting, not a surface that purely displays information. Many devices combine both: a radio dial both shows frequencies (sense 1) and lets you select them (sense 2).

Common Mistakes

I turned the dial of the microwave to 5 minutes.

I set the microwave timer to 5 minutes.

'dial' fits devices with a rotating selector; modern microwaves often use buttons or a touchpad.

3.nounB2

Definition

the circular plastic or metal disc on older telephones with numbered holes for each finger, which you rotate to send electrical pulses that connect your call

Example

Tariro's grandmother still used a telephone with a rotary dial instead of push buttons.

rotary dial — the old-style phone dial

Ishaan put his finger into hole number four on the dial and turned it clockwise.

put finger in hole + turn dial — physical operation

Common collocations

rotary dial
turn the dial
dial spins back
finger hole
telephone dial
old-style dial

Synonyms

rotary dial
the full term; makes the mechanism explicit
finger wheel
technical term for the rotating disc

Usage Note

Rotary dials were standard on household telephones from the 1920s through the 1980s. Modern touch-tone phones and smartphones have replaced them, so this sense appears most often in historical contexts, museums, or vintage collections.

Common Mistakes

I pressed the numbers on the dial.

I turned the dial to each number.

a rotary dial is turned, not pressed.

Word family

dailer
nounB2
redial
verbB2
redial
nounC1
dialled
adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words mean contacting someone by telephone, but they differ in register, region, and scope. 'Dial' focuses specifically on the action of entering digits or rotating a disc to connect a call — it is more technical than the others. 'Call' is the broadest and most neutral term: you can call a person, an office, or a helpline, whether you dial the number yourself or use speed-dial. 'Ring' (common in British English) is slightly informal and focuses on the sound of the phone at the receiving end — 'I'll ring you tomorrow' suggests the speaker expects the phone to ring at your end. 'Phone' is a verb derived from the noun and functions very similarly to 'call', though it feels slightly more dated. For everyday use among learners, 'call' is the safest choice; 'dial' is best reserved for contexts where the act of keying in numbers is the focus, such as 'Dial 0 for the operator.'

dial ↗call ↗ring ↗phone ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

dial a number
dial direct
dial in to
dial up

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinMedieval LatinEnglish

The word 'dial' goes back to the Latin 'dies' meaning 'day'. From 'dies' came the Latin adjective 'dialis' (daily), which evolved into the medieval Latin 'dialis', referring to a sundial — a device that measured time by the sun. By the 14th century, 'dial' in English meant any instrument that showed the time using a pointer on a circular face. Over the following centuries the word broadened: first to any gauge or meter with a pointer and a numbered face, then to the round control knobs on radios and ovens. In the late 19th century, with the invention of the rotary telephone, 'dial' gained its telecommunication meaning. Today the verb 'dial' has outlived the physical rotary disc that originally gave it its name.

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dial

dial — verb

1. to press the buttons or turn the rotary disc on a telephone in order to enter a

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

dial — noun

1. the flat, round surface on a clock, watch, or measuring instrument that shows in

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. a round knob or switch on a radio, oven, heater, or other device that you turn t

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

3. the circular plastic or metal disc on older telephones with numbered holes for e

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

dial — abbreviation

1. a written abbreviation for 'dialect', used in dictionaries and linguistic texts

Usage Note

2. a written abbreviation for 'dialectical', used in academic contexts, particularl

Usage Note

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

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