Phrase guide

answering machine

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A device that automatically records voicemails from unanswered telephone calls.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

Topics: communications, electrical-engineering, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, telecommunications, telephony

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ansaphone, ansafone, answerphone, telephone answering machine

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

an electronic device that answers the telephone and records messages

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: electronic device

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

70 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: antwoordmasjien — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Arabic: مُجِيب (mujīb) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Arabic: مُجِيب آلِيّ (mujīb ʔāliyy) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Armenian: ինքնապատասխանիչ (inkʻnapatasxaničʻ) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Azerbaijani: cavablandırıcı — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Azerbaijani: avtocavabverən — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Basque: erantzungailu — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Basque: erantzungailu automatiko — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Belarusian: аўтаадка́зчык (awtaadkázčyk) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Bulgarian: телефо́нен секрета́р (telefónen sekretár) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Catalan: contestador — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Chinese Mandarin: 錄音電話 /录音电话 (lùyīn diànhuà) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Chinese Mandarin: 答錄機 /答录机 (dālùjī) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Czech: záznamník — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Czech: telefonní záznamník — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Danish: telefonsvarer — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Dutch: antwoordapparaat — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Estonian: automaatvastaja — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Faroese: telefonsvarari — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Finnish: puhelinvastaaja — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Finnish: vastaaja — device that automatically records voice mail
  • French: répondeur — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Georgian: ავტომოპასუხე (avṭomoṗasuxe) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • German: Anrufbeantworter — device that automatically records voice mail
  • German: AB — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Greek: αυτόματος τηλεφωνητής (aftómatos tilefonitís) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Hebrew: מְשִׁיבוֹן (m'shivón) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Hungarian: üzenetrögzítő — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Icelandic: símsvari — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Italian: segreteria automatica — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Italian: risponditore — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Italian: segreteria telefonica — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Japanese: 留守番電話 — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Japanese: 留守電 — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Kazakh: автожауапбергіш (avtojauapbergış) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Kazakh: автоответчик (avtootvetçik) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Korean: 자동 응답기 (jadong eungdapgi) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Korean: 응답기 (eungdapgi) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Kyrgyz: автожооп бергич (avtojoop bergic) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Kyrgyz: автожоопчу (avtojoopcu) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Kyrgyz: автоответчик (avtootvetcik) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Latvian: automātiskais atbildētājs — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Latvian: autoatbildētājs — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Lithuanian: autoatsakiklis — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Macedonian: автома́тска секрета́рка (avtomátska sekretárka) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Norman: machinne à rêpondre — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Norwegian Bokmål: telefonsvarer — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: telefonsvarar — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Iranian Persian: پَیامگیر (payâm-gir) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Polish: automatyczna sekretarka — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Polish: sekretarka — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Portuguese: secretária automática — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Romanian: robot telefonic — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Russian: автоотве́тчик (avtootvétčik) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Serbo-Croatian: телефонска секретарица — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Serbo-Croatian: telefonska sekretarica — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Slovak: záznamník — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Slovak: odkazovač — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Slovene: odzivnik — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Spanish: contestador automático — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Swedish: telefonsvarare — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Tajik: автоответчик (avtootvetčik) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Thai: เครื่องตอบรับโทรศัพท์ (krʉ̂ʉang-dtɔ̀ɔp-ráp-too-rá-sàp) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Turkish: telesekreter — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Turkmen: awtootvetçik — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Ukrainian: автовідповіда́ч (avtovidpovidáč) — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Uzbek: avto-javobchi — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Uzbek: avto javob xizmati — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Uzbek: avtootvetchik — device that automatically records voice mail
  • Vietnamese: máy trả lời — device that automatically records voice mail