dial
/ˈdaɪ.əl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdaɪ.əl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdī(-ə)l/ (ame, mw) · /ˈdaɪəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdaɪəl/ (ame, ipa)
dial — verb
- dialpresent simple I / you / we / they
- dials3rd person singular
- dialing-ing form
- dialedpast simple
- dialledpast participle
1. to press the buttons or turn the rotary disc on a telephone in order to enter a
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
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
The automated system asks callers to dial the country code before the local number.
Megan dialled her mother from the hospital waiting room to share the good news.
- hang up
to end a call rather than start one
文法句型
dial + number
dial + person (object is the called party)
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
dial — noun
- dialsingular
- dialsplural
1. the flat, round surface on a clock, watch, or measuring instrument that shows in
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
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
The pressure gauge dial had a hairline crack, so the reading was no longer trustworthy.
The control room had a large wall dial that displayed the current water level.
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
2. a round knob or switch on a radio, oven, heater, or other device that you turn t
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
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
The oven dial lets you set the baking temperature from 50 to 250 degrees Celsius.
Manuela twisted the dial on the combination lock until she heard a soft click.
用法筆記
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).
常見錯誤
3. the circular plastic or metal disc on older telephones with numbered holes for e
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
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
The children stared at the antique phone and wondered how the dial worked without batteries.
Sana found an old Bakelite telephone whose dial was still smooth and easy to spin.
- rotary dial
the full term; makes the mechanism explicit
- finger wheel
technical term for the rotating disc
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
dial — abbreviation
1. a written abbreviation for 'dialect', used in dictionaries and linguistic texts
a written abbreviation for 'dialect', used in dictionaries and linguistic texts to label region-specific forms of a language
'Bairn' was labelled 'dial.' in the dictionary to show it is a northern word.
dial. as a dictionary label
In linguistic papers, 'dial.' is often placed after a word to indicate regional variation.
Linguistics students learn to recognise 'dial.' in old dictionaries and dialect surveys.
The abbreviation 'dial.' appears next to words that are not part of the standard form.
用法筆記
Used almost exclusively in writing, especially in dictionaries and academic linguistics. In speech, say the full word 'dialect'.
2. a written abbreviation for 'dialectical', used in academic contexts, particularl
a written abbreviation for 'dialectical', used in academic contexts, particularly in philosophy and Marxist theory
The footnote cited 'dial. materialism' as the theoretical framework for the argument.
dial. as abbreviation in philosophical writing
Course listings sometimes use 'dial. method' to refer to dialectical reasoning.
A philosophy textbook might shorten 'dialectical' to 'dial.' in its glossary entries.
Students reading Marxist theory often see 'dial.' used before 'materialism' in texts.
用法筆記
Primarily appears in academic footnotes, bibliographies, and course catalogues. Most readers outside philosophy will not recognise this abbreviation.