dial up

1. verb To call someone on the telephone. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "dial" and "up." Well, then dial Joe up and see what he has to say about all this! Billy, if you won't listen to me, I'll have no choice but to dial up your parents. Hey, dial up the pizza place and order a couple of large pies, my treat.

2. noun A method of connecting to the Internet via a telephone line. In this usage, the phrase is usually hyphenated. Remember the terrible sound that dial-up used to make? Yikes. Back in the days of dial-up, no one in the house could be on the phone if someone else was online. We didn't even have dial-up Internet in grade school, so playing The Oregon Trail was the epitome of excitement.

3. adjective Describing a method of connecting to the Internet via a telephone line. In this usage, the phrase is usually hyphenated. Remember how slow dial-up Internet used to be? Yikes. Now that Wi-Fi is the norm, I think I blocked dial-up Internet out of my memory. You kids have no room to complain about Internet quality when you didn't live through the dial-up era.

dial up

To telephone someone or something: I dialed up my dentist and made an appointment. Would you dial your sister up and ask her what time she's coming over?