busy signal — A tone heard when calling a telephone number that is already in use
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: A tone heard when calling a telephone number that is already in use
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈbɪzi ˈsɪɡnəl/
Example Sentences
- Every time I call my pizza delivery place on Friday night, I get a busy signal because everyone's ordering dinner.
- The busy signal lasted for ten minutes before I could finally reach the doctor's office.
- My grandmother thinks a busy signal means the phone is broken and keeps hanging up and redialing.
busy signal
NOUN[/ˈbɪzi ˈsɪɡnəl/]
A tone heard when calling a telephone number that is already in use
She kept hearing the busy signal while trying to call her mom.
The final call meets only a busy signal!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Busy derives from Old English bisig, meaning 'active' or 'occupied'. Signal comes from Latin signum, meaning 'mark' or 'sign'. The compound term emerged after telephone invention to denote the auditory signal indicating an occupied line.
Breakdown
busy (Old English bisig, 'active') + signal (Latin signum, 'mark'). The phrase combines an adjective describing line status with a noun for the acoustic indicator of that condition.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“Every time I call my pizza delivery place on Friday night, I get a busy signal because everyone's ordering dinner.”
“The busy signal lasted for ten minutes before I could finally reach the doctor's office.”
“My grandmother thinks a busy signal means the phone is broken and keeps hanging up and redialing.”
“In the digital age, busy signals are becoming less common as most phones have call waiting features.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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