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 Insurance Marketing Coalition Ltd. v. FCC, a trade group has asked the Commission to hold off on that rule clamping down on robocalls and texts while the organization pursues an 11th Circuit challenge to the new regulations. —Eric Reicin, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025

Some still use live interviewers, others use robocalls to conduct polls, and many pollsters include some combination of all of these techniques. —T.m. Detwiler, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2024

What is the government doing about scam calls? Since 2021, the FCC has worked to implement laws that require all phone companies to implement robocall defense software for consumers. —Tamia Fowlkes, Journal Sentinel, 30 Dec. 2024

Which Ohio cities receive the most robocalls in 2024? —Alex Perry, The Enquirer, 17 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

robot + -o- + call entry 2

First Known Use

1993, in the meaning defined above