dial up
To make something stronger or more intense, like turning up a dial — or, in an older sense, to call someone on the phone.
Meanings
(Dated) To call someone on a telephone by dialling their number.
"I'll dial you up later this evening when I get home."
To increase the level, intensity, or degree of something.
"The director asked the cast to dial up the emotion in the final scene."
To access the internet or a network through a telephone line (now historical).
"In the 1990s, you had to dial up to connect to the internet."
The historical sense (to telephone someone) is now dated in most varieties of English, replaced by 'call' or 'ring'. The figurative sense (to increase intensity) is modern and common, especially in American English media and tech contexts. 'Dial-up' as a noun/adjective refers to old slow internet connections.
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Forms
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Synonyms
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