pager
Definition
Noun: An electronic device that receives and displays short messages or alerts, typically generating a series of beeps or vibrations to notify the person carrying it that they are being contacted.
Usage
A pager is a portable communication device. It is used to alert the carrier that someone is trying to reach them, often by displaying a phone number to call back or a short text message. It was widely used before the prevalence of mobile phones.
Examples
- The doctor on call always carries a pager.
- In the 1990s, many professionals relied on a pager for urgent communications.
- My pager just beeped; I need to find a phone to call the office.
Advanced Usage
- "To be paged": This verb form describes the action of signaling someone via their pager.
- The receptionist paged the manager to come to the front desk.
- The term can be used metonymically to refer to the state of being on-call or urgently needed.
- As a senior technician, he is always on pager duty over the weekend.
Variants and Related Words
- Beeper: A common synonym for pager, named for the sound it makes.
- Paging: The act or system of sending a signal to a pager.
Synonyms
Beeper.
Related Phrases
- To carry a pager: To have the responsibility of being reachable via pager.
- All emergency responders must carry a pager.
- Pager code: A system of using numbers to represent short messages (e.g., 143 for "I love you") popular in pager communication.
Noun
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an electronic device that generates a series of beeps when the person carrying it is being paged
