butt-di·al
ˈbət-ˌdī(-ə)l 
variants
or less commonly butt dial
butt-dialed also butt dialed; butt-dialing also butt dialing; butt-dials also butt dials
: to place an unintended call to (someone) from a mobile phone (as by sitting on a phone placed in a back pocket) when the phone is not in use
Responding to a complaint about illegal fishing, a game warden tried to call one of the suspects but the suspect hung up and then butt-dialed the game warden back. "Maybe the game warden didn't see," one of them said to the other as the warden listened in.—
Christopher Collins
Christopher CollinsCops in Staffordshire, England easily nabbed two burglars on Jan. 6 after one of the suspects mistakenly butt-dialed the emergency number 999 during an alleged break-in.—Toronto (Canada) Sun
Toronto (Canada) Sun
variants
or less commonly butt dial
plural butt-dials also butt dials
: a call placed from a mobile phone by butt-dialing : an accidental mobile phone call
The drunk text is familiar now. It needs no more explanation than a butt-dial or an autocorrect typo or cellphones in general.—Kaitlyn Tiffany
Kaitlyn TiffanyFinally, I received a message from someone who clearly did not know they were making a call. Perhaps it was a butt dial.—Steve Pokin
Steve PokinExamples of butt-dial in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sam Reed, Glamour, 19 Mar. 2024
Had the head of Universal accidentally butt-dialed him?
—Jen Yamato, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Verb
Jimmy butt-dialed Chelsea, and got caught in his own lie.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 19 Mar. 2024
Had the head of Universal accidentally butt-dialed him?
—Jen Yamato, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2023
Dictionary Entries Near butt-dial
Cite this Entry
“Butt-dial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butt-dial. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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