voicemail
VOYS-mayl
/ˈvɔɪsmeɪl/
A centralized electronic system that records, stores, and plays back voice messages from callers.
Implies an automated digital answering system attached to a telephone network.
The story behind the word. Coined in the late 1970s as digital speech encoding allowed computers to store spoken messages. The word combined 'voice' with 'mail' to position voice messaging as the verbal equivalent of electronic mail (email).
Word relationships
- answering machine: An answering machine is a physical device with a tape or chip in a home, while voicemail is network-based.
Commonly confused with
- greeting: Voicemail is the whole recording system, while greeting is the recorded message callers hear before leaving their note.
Collocations
- check voicemail
- leave a voicemail
- voicemail inbox
- voicemail greeting
Example sentences
- "I left a voicemail with the sales department detailing our revised order." Office communication
Memory hook
VOICE + MAIL: delivering spoken letters straight into an audio mailbox. Spoken messages in your digital inbox.
When not to use
Do not use to describe real-time voice messaging apps like walkie-talkie features or live voice notes unless referring to left calls.
Fun facts
- The first commercial voicemail system, the 3DX system by Voicemail International, launched in 1979.
Related words
Explore more words
out of office, offline, Thread, intercom, notification, Online
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.