answering machine

noun

1. an electronic device that is attached to a telephone and that automatically answers callers with a prerecorded message and records their messages for later playback.

answering machine

noun

1. a device by means of which a telephone call is answered automatically and the caller enabled to leave a recorded message In fulltelephone answering machine Also calledanswerphone

Word History and Origins

Origin of answering machine¹

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

An emergency dispatcher then called the woman but got her answering machine.

From ProPublica

We are even allowed a glimpse into some of his most intimate relationships, thanks to never-erased answering machine messages – particularly with fellow artist Peter Hujar, whose life story was inextricably interwoven with his own.

From Washington Blade

He briefly had an answering machine, but he got rid of it because he got too many calls he didn’t want to return and he couldn’t claim not to know someone had called when he still had the machine.

From Washington Post

I would never have said my family was rich—we seemed to be the last family I knew in the eighties to get a microwave and an answering machine—but maybe instead of a microwave, my parents wanted to go skiing.

From Outside Online

They pass the buck, they tell you to call this person, and you are lucky if you can even get an answering machine.

From The Daily Beast

He is presently being held on $1 million bail, which gives a twist to the message on the phone answering machine at his firm.

From The Daily Beast

Basically, the answer we came up with was that it must be something like breaking into mobile answering machine messages.

From The Daily Beast

But soon the lonely Chip begins stalking him, leaving tons of messages on his answering machine.

From The Daily Beast

Their tryst, however, is broken up several times by messages playing from the answering machine and never comes to fruition.

From The Daily Beast