answering machine
105
2.7
- noun
- /ˈænsərɪŋ məˈʃin/
:
contestador automático
- Check your answering machine.
- messages on answering machines
And then did we have an answering machine in the college dorm room?
- And then did we have an answering machine in the college dorm room?
- And I say, so we're going to have our answering machine pick up and then get voice prompts.
- And, and what I used to hate was the, I mean, I'm so old, but when I had a telephone but not an answering machine, you see what I mean?
- So things like answering machines and caller ID, caller ID landlines where you can listen in on calls.
- Meaning all at once, after the beep on my answering machine, pedals pour down the street to the Bay.
Examples
-
There's a message on the answering machine.
-
Remember never to leave a sensitive message on an answering machine because you never know who might hear the messages.
Academic text (2006) -
I just heard his voice on the answering machine, so...
-
I let the answering machine pick up the other call.
-
I mean, I heard your voice on the answering machine, and it made my day,
-
You may leave this message on an answering machine, but you may NOT leave this message with a student.
Academic text (2007) -
You know, I was expecting a call from you on my answering machine.
-
The red light on my answering machine blinked to tell me I had a call.
Fiction book (1991) -
There was a new cassette for the answering machine in the drawer.
Fiction book (1991) -
When I got home, I checked the answering machine for any messages from my friends.
Synonyms
127
2.7
A system that lets callers leave voice messages when no one answers
How Automated
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a device that answers calls and records messages' is directly and transparently derived from 'answer' (to respond) combined with 'machine' (a device). The participial modifier 'answering' plainly indicates a machine that performs the action of answering, a common compositional pattern that a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand.
Etymology
Answering machine comes from the simple idea that a machine can 'answer' the phone for you. Early devices played a recorded greeting and saved callers' messages when no one was there, so the name now means a device that 'records' messages for you.