intercom
Americannoun
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a communication system within a building, ship, airplane, local area, etc., with a loudspeaker or receiver for listening and a microphone for speaking at each of two or more points.
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a microphone or receiver of such a communication system.
noun
Etymology
Origin of intercom
First recorded in 1935–40; by shortening
Explanation
An intercom is a device that makes it possible for people to communicate between different rooms or areas of a building. Airplanes use intercoms so the pilot can tell passengers, "Fasten your seat belts!" Many schools have an intercom system, so that students, teachers, and administrators can broadcast announcements to every classroom. Some intercoms operate as one-way communication, while others are two-way intercoms: a friend's apartment building might have an intercom you can speak into, telling her you've arrived, and she can respond, telling you she's buzzing you in. Intercom, dating from 1940, is a shortened form of intercommunication.
Vocabulary lists containing intercom
The Skin I'm In
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Liar & Spy
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The Corruption of Hollis Brown
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Each room is equipped with an intercom to contact guards if needed.
From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026
The red brick building that houses the apartment is also home to 26 other units and offers several high-end communal amenities, including an elevator, laundry room, and video intercom entry.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 4, 2026
Ms Wynter has written to Sir Sadiq Khan - who has overall responsibility for the Tube network - describing the intercom system as a failure and urging him to "fix it now".
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2025
The deputies assured the family that authorities would let them know if anything changed and that officials would be driving around on the intercom to make sure people got out, said Rogers’ son, Micah Coleman.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2025
I glance around to see what’s buzzing, first at the ancient yellow chandelier above my head, then at the shiny silver intercom on the wall.
From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
