dial up en · VERB
Meanings
-
To telephone, to call on the telephone.
The written instructions weren't clear, so I dialed her up and asked her to explain what she meant.
-
To connect a computer to a modem.
In those days it took three minutes just to dial up, and every minute you were connected was costing you a higher phone bill.
-
To increase the level (of something) by turning a dial, or (figuratively) as if by turning a dial.
These comments are guaranteed to dial up the animosity.
Near-synonym: ratchet up
Think Bernie Sanders versus Kamala Harris, but dialled up to France where revolution is part of the national psyche.
2025 May 3, Leila Abboud, “Lunch with the FT: Jean-Luc Mélenchon”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 3:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| dialling up | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | UK | lexicographic |
| dialled up | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | UK | lexicographic |
| dialled up | Tense=Past | UK | lexicographic |
| dialed up | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | US | lexicographic |
| dialed up | Tense=Past | US | lexicographic |
| dialing up | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | US | lexicographic |
| dials up | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Synonyms
ring · phone · give a ring · ring up · ratchet up