dial tone
Receiver's steady drone
A dial tone is the steady hum you hear when you pick up a telephone handset, indicating the line is ready for you to place a call.
The term persists even as rotary dials have given way to touch-tone keypads and then smartphones: I picked up the phone but there was no dial tone.
Stationary wired telephone
- rotaryInvolving circular motion
- payphonePublic coin-operated telephone
- phone boothEnclosed public telephone station
- handsetHeld telephone component
corded · analog · vintage · operator · Ma Bell · party line · long-distance · exchange
Rate of recurrence
- signalMessage-conveying cue
- ringbackAudible connection signal
- busy signalTelephonic rejection sound
- connectionA joining or relation
pulse · carrier · PBX · switchboard · exchange · telephony · modem · engage
State of awaiting something
- pauseTemporary cessation of activity
- silenceTotal lack of sound
- standbyReady substitute awaiting use
- hesitationDelay from uncertainty
readiness · prompt · expectation · listening · stillness · holding · beginning · initiation
landline
Stationary wired telephone
- rotaryInvolving circular motion
- payphonePublic coin-operated telephone
- phone boothEnclosed public telephone station
handset · corded · analog · vintage · operator · Ma Bell · party line · long-distance · exchange · callbox
frequency
Rate of recurrence
- signalMessage-conveying cue
- ringbackAudible connection signal
- busy signalTelephonic rejection sound
connection · pulse · carrier · PBX · switchboard · exchange · telephony · modem · engage · trunk line
anticipation
State of awaiting something
hesitation · readiness · prompt · expectation · listening · stillness · holding · beginning · initiation · starting point
- telecommunicationscell phone, cellphone, signals, cellular network, telephone calls
- phone callsphone number, robocall, cell number, cold call, mobile number
- dial-upmodem, 56k, 56k modem, busy signal, screeching
- phone systemsPBX, extension, phone line, handset, main menu
- Phone Signalsbusy signal, ringtone, alerting, clear signal
- soundssound, beeps, listen, sounds, hear
dial tonebusy signal
Telephonic rejection sound
engaged tone · disconnected · out of service · ringing · out of order
tone, dial, dials, monotone, dialed, dialing, tonal, tonality, redial