I. dial 1 /daɪəl/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Latin dies 'day' ]
1 . the round part of a clock, watch, machine etc that has numbers that show you the time or a measurement:
The lighted dial of her watch said 1.20.
She looked at the dial to check her speed.
2 . the part of a piece of equipment such as a radio or ↑ thermostat that you turn around to do something, such as find a different station or change the temperature:
The dial on the heater was set to ‘HOT’.
3 . the wheel on an older telephone with numbered holes for your fingers that you move around in order to make a call
II. dial 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle dialled , present participle dialling British English , dialed , dialing American English ) [intransitive and transitive]
to press the buttons or turn the dial on a telephone in order to make a telephone call:
I think I dialed the wrong number.