answering machine
noun
: a machine that receives telephone calls by playing a recorded message and usually by recording messages from callers
Examples of answering machine in a Sentence
I haven't spoken to him yet, but he left a message on my answering machine.
Recent Examples on the Web
For ordinary people, the physical paper is joining the pay phone, the cassette tape, the answering machine, the bank check, the sound of the internal combustion engine and the ivory-white pair of women’s gloves as objects whose disappearance marks the passage of time.
—
Michael Weissenstein, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2025
This was in the days of answering machines.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
That scene on the answering machine?
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
Late that evening, Noone arrived home to find a message on his answering machine from the police.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for answering machine
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Michael Weissenstein, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2025
This was in the days of answering machines.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
That scene on the answering machine?
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
Late that evening, Noone arrived home to find a message on his answering machine from the police.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for answering machine
Cite this Entry
“Answering machine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/answering%20machine. Accessed 1 Jan. 2026.
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