: relating to or being a standard telephone line used for computer communications
also : accessible via a standard telephone line
a dial-up Internet provider

Examples of dial-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The company is hoping the product appeals to consumers who grew up in the 1990s when LAN parties, dial-up internet, and floppy disk drives were common. PC Magazine, 23 July 2025 An actual floppy disk drive for old games would have been rad, though, as would a crusty 28K modem to use for dial-up internet. Mitch Wallace, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025 On dial-up internet, Barnard taught himself Macromedia Flash and built interactive games and songs starring two original characters: Boowa the Blue Dog and Kwala the Yellow Koala, a hit in 2007 with a 52-episode TV series produced by ITV Studios and aired internationally. Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 19 July 2025 Back then, only 2 in 5 households had internet access, mostly through slow dial-up connections on desktop computers. Meg Leta Jones, The Conversation, 27 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for dial-up

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dial-up was in 1960

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Cite this Entry

“Dial-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dial-up. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

dial-up

adjective
ˈdī(-ə)l-ˌəp
: relating to or done using an ordinary telephone line
dial-up Internet access

More from Merriam-Webster on dial-up

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