robocall

noun

ro·​bo·​call ˈrō-bō-ˌkȯl 

: a telephone call from an automated source that delivers a prerecorded message to a large number of people

robocall transitive verb

robocalled; robocalling; robocalls

Poor small-town America. During the last gasps of this fevered election, pollsters, zealous campaign foot soldiers and reporters are kicking down its doors, figuratively speaking, robocalling its citizens during suppertime …

—Doug Colligan

robocaller noun

plural robocallers

Now the only people who use the telephone are campaign robocallers and the phone company, dunning me to switch to their new wireless plan.

—Richard Brookhiser

robocalling noun

Business organizations have warned that legislative action against robocalling that defines the practice too broadly could prevent legitimate businesses from efficiently reaching their customers with relevant information.

—Colin A. Young

Examples of robocall in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a separate incident last year, a robocall campaign that encouraged New Hampshire Democrats to sit out the coming election used a deepfake of then-President Joe Biden’s voice. —ArsTechnica, 15 May 2025

Class attorneys noted that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 generally prohibits robocalls to cell and home phones. —Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2025

Commissioners have worked together this year on key issues, including curbing robocalls and promoting spectrum-sharing among satellite systems. —Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025

Joe Biden follows with 20 incidents, mainly seen during the elections, where his voice was used in robocalls. —Emma Woollacott, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

robot + -o- + call entry 2

First Known Use

1993, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for robocall

• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• basketball
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• catarrhal
• cortisol
• ethanol
• fireball
• gasohol