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Definitions

dial

[dahy-uhl, dahyl] / ˈdaɪ əl, daɪl /
VERB
tune to desired position
Synonyms


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“It may be smart to dial back expectations,” said Matt Schulz, LendingTree’s chief consumer-finance analyst.

From MarketWatch Sep. 8, 2026

She also knows when to dial it back.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 25, 2026

These engines are highly complex and it takes time for teams to dial into them so they are working at their optimum.

From BBC Aug. 25, 2026

Antonio Campos, who kind of began and ended us, we had a little bit of a dial, and he was like, “Bring it back a bit” or “I think it needs a little more.”

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 20, 2026

I love spinning the little dial, pretending I’m an international jewel thief.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

A few years later it bought Nateber SA, a maker of dials, and watch manufacturer Joseph Erard Holding.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 7, 2026

When Lane Kiffin dials a number, the person on the other end usually answers and takes the call.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 24, 2026

Subscriptions could drive another $7 billion in revenue, Nowak said, and $2 of earnings growth, as the group begins “turning emerging monetization dials and creating new costs to compete for audiences and wallet share.”

From Barron's Jun. 3, 2026

Part of that included disposing of glowing dials, which were made using radium-226.

From BBC Feb. 20, 2026

She dials and we all wait anxiously while the phone rings on speaker.

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell

Recent numbers from Goldman Sachs’s prime brokerage unit showed equity-focused hedge funds have dialed back their net exposure to stocks to some of the lowest levels of the past year.

From MarketWatch Sep. 10, 2026

In recent days, he has only dialed up his rhetoric.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 9, 2026

With the Bulldogs backed up against their goal line, Patterson dialed up a nickel blitz — and Fresno State didn’t account for it.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 5, 2026

He was a senior in high school at the time and remembered how much attention was dialed into the game.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 23, 2026

She fed a dime into the slot and dialed the phone number on the card.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Even for the Conservatives, who have always been fairly sympathetic to oil and gas exploration, the rhetoric has been dialled up.

From BBC Jul. 14, 2026

The economy had been set for a rebound this year on the back of hefty government spending, but forecasts have been dialled back due to the conflict.

From Barron's Jun. 16, 2026

Passers-by dialled 999 with both police and ambulances called to the scene.

From BBC Apr. 13, 2026

"Really scared" Pearl unlocked her mum's phone, dialled 999 and told call handler Gen Hinds: "She's lying on the sofa… she's not awake. Her eyes keep on opening and closing."

From BBC Apr. 10, 2026

He dialled the call on a secondary phone.

From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

Home-insurance premiums hit a record high in June, dialing up the heat on homeowners’ budgets across America.

From MarketWatch Sep. 9, 2026

But rather than dialing anything back, the big players are just revving their engines more and more.

From Slate Sep. 1, 2026

China, the world’s largest oil importer, has taken a different approach, dramatically dialing down its imports.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 13, 2026

It seems daunting dialing in that depth and breadth within “The Pitt’s” hour-by-hour format.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 8, 2026

I pressed zero and followed the prompts, first dialing Marcus’s number, then speaking my name into the receiver, and, finally, waiting.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

A meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing was also held on Tuesday, with many leaders dialling in to Kyiv.

From BBC Feb. 24, 2026

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Saturday she believed US President Donald Trump still desires to own Greenland despite dialling back his recent threats to seize it by force.

From Barron's Feb. 14, 2026

It will be filmed in a studio in New York, but with reporters dialling in from the England camp and fan zones.

From BBC Dec. 3, 2025

Seconds later, as screaming children streamed out of the venue and passed his taxi, Mr Poland drove away and waited more than 50 minutes before dialling 999.

From BBC Sep. 22, 2025

When he had finished dialling, he picked up his handkerchief from the desk and put it over the mouthpiece, quite loosely and mounted rather high.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger




Vocabulary lists containing dial


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